Polaris Research Finds Most Cardiac Patients Welcome Depression Assessment as Part of Routine Care
Challenging the assumption that patients do not like to complete lengthy assessments, Polaris research has revealed that cardiac patients consider a depression questionnaire to be an indication of holistic, superior care.

March 31, 2011 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Challenging the assumption that patients do not like to complete lengthy assessments, Polaris research has revealed that cardiac patients consider a depression questionnaire to be an indication of holistic, superior care.

Patients with heart disease who were asked to complete a comprehensive questionnaire that assessed their emotional status viewed it as a positive addition to the care they received, according to findings from a Polaris Health Directions study that ran from 2007 to 2009.

Challenging the assumption that patients do not like to complete lengthy assessments, Polaris research revealed that patients considered the questionnaire to be an indication of holistic, superior care and felt it was evidence that their medical team cared about their overall quality of life.

Using a behavioral health outcomes management tool normed on a cardiac patient population, Polaris collected data from 1,000 cardiac patients being treated at Lennox Hill Hospital in New York City, at two cardiac centers that are part of the Sutter Health System in San Francisco, Calif., at the Albert Einstein Cardiac Rehab Center in Philadelphia, Pa, and at the Cardiovascular Institute of Philadelphia, in Pa. The subjects completed a 20-minute assessment to measure the presence of depression and other psychosocial factors that could negatively impact health outcomes. It also included questions regarding their opinion of psychosocial assessments as a routine part of their care.

The majority--57 percent--responded that they were "glad" to take the assessment because they wanted their cardiologists to know how they are doing emotionally, and an additional forty-two percent reported they "didn't mind" answering these questions. Less than 1 percent felt the assessment was inappropriate for cardiac patients.

As evidence mounts regarding the significant benefit of screening for and addressing depression among cardiac patients, these findings help illustrate the feasibility of doing so. The technology used for this study, Polaris-CV (cardiovascular), was developed with funding from the National Institutes of Health. A powerful tool that automates and simplifies the screening and monitoring process, Polaris-CV encompasses the best practices of outcomes management: predictive analytics; real-time reporting at the individual and aggregate level; and actionable data for treatment planning and patient monitoring.

For more information on this study or Polaris-CV, please send an e-mail to moreinfo@polarishealth.com or visit http://www.polarishealth.com.

This project was supported by 5R44MH060535 from the National Institute on Mental Health. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institute on Mental Health or the National Institutes of Health.

About Polaris Health Directions

At Polaris, we recognize that organizations cannot manage what they do not measure. Many behavioral health care providers and payers may not be collecting and analyzing enough of the right data to answer basic questions about the cost-effectiveness of the care they offer. Polaris's advanced technology and science driven assessment systems are designed to capture the clinical data essential to quality improvement and enhanced organizational management. Polaris solutions provide advanced analytics to help you improve and demonstrate to your customers the value of your care. With a focus on prediction, Polaris solutions do more than describe clinical change. Our systems also indicate if treatment is likely to have a positive result. Helping you make better decisions in the present by anticipating the future will be the difference in reducing your costs while improving patient care. Follow Polaris on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/polarishealthdirections.

Media Contact:
Jesse Nankin
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http://www.polarishealth.com

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