Nursing staff and screening for depression among acutely ill geriatric inpatients: A pilot study

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Abstract
Depression is common among acutely ill geriatric inpatients. In this study the performance of the Depressive Signs Scale (DSS), completed by the nursing staff in the course of normal nursing duties, in screening for depression among acutely ill geriatric inpatients was examined. A cut-off of 2/3 gave the best sensitivity (63%) and specificity (58%). The DSS could be utilized to screen for depression among acutely ill geriatric inpatients, particularly as the screening could be incorporated into nursing care plans and only required 3-4 minutes.