Behavioral health conditions are prevalent in the United States with anxiety and depression as the most common disorders. Women are twice as likely as men to develop these conditions. Among women of reproductive age, untreated anxiety and depressive disorders increase the risk of pregnancy-related complications, preterm birth, and postpartum chronic diseases.
Safe and effective treatments are available for depression and anxiety. Yet, fewer than half of women who experience clinically significant depression or anxiety receive care. Primary care practices are ideal settings to identify and address mental health conditions among women of reproductive age, since women in this age group are likely to have periodic contact with primary care providers. Increasing timely diagnosis and treatment of mental health conditions benefits women and their children.
Who We Are
Focus on ME, a quality improvement project comprised of primary care providers across Ohio, is dedicated to improving care related to depression and anxiety for women of reproductive age by focusing on utilizing evidence-based behavioral health screening tools and treatment interventions.
The participating sites involved in this quality improvement initiative will utilize the Institute for Healthcare Improvement’s Model for Improvement to complete small tests of change via plan-do-study-act (PDSA) cycles. To achieve the project aims and support PDSA cycles, electronic health record queries are developed, and baseline and implementation period data are collected and analyzed. The project aims to:
- Increase the percent of women of reproductive age screened for anxiety and depression.
- Initiate appropriate care for 80% of women who screen positive.
Resources
The following resources are available for download:
- Provider Toolkit (PDF)
- Patient Brochure - English (PDF)
- Patient Brochure - Somali
- Patient Brochure - Nepali
- Patient Brochure - Turkish
- Patient Brochure - Russian
- Patient Brochure - Spanish
- Patient Brochure - Kinyarwanda
- Anxiety and Depression Resources (PDF)
- Frequently Asked Questions for patients experiencing anxiety or depression (PDF)
Partners
Focus on ME is funded by the Ohio Department of Children and Youth and the Ohio Department of Medicaid and administered by the Ohio Colleges of Medicine Government Resource Center.
Clinical experts include:
- Dr. Seuli Bose-Brill: Chief, the Ohio State University (OSU) Combined Internal Medicine/ Pediatrics Section; Director, OSU Maternal-Infant Dyad Practice; Director, OSU Center for Health Outcomes in Medicine Scholarship and Service; Director, OSU Pragmatic Clinical Trials Network; Associate Professor, Clinical, Department of Medicine, OSU College of Medicine.
- Dr. Lisa M Christian: Clinical Health Psychologist, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health, Institute for Behavioral Medicine Research the Ohio State University College of Medicine.
- Dr. Bethany Panchal: Associate Program Director, The Ohio State University Family Medicine Residency Program, Director of Maternity and Women’s Health, Associate Professor - Clinical at the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center.
- Dr. Casia Horseman: Psychiatrist and Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health, Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center.
- Dr. Colleen Waickman: Psychiatry fellow at Nationwide Children's Hospital. Resident-fellow member on multiple state and national committees through the Ohio Psychiatric Physicians Association and the American Psychiatric Association.
- Dr. Rachel Gordon: Physician in Internal Medicine/Pediatrics section at the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center.
