P030 WHAT ABOUT DEPRESSION? INCREASED DISCUSSION BY GASTROENTEROLOGISTS MAY BE NEEDED.

Abstract

Abstract Introduction Studies have reported an increased prevalence of depression in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Depression rates have been reported as high as 21.2% in IBD patients compared to 13.4% in healthy controls (1). Addressing depression and improvement in psychological health has been associated with decrease in IBD-related morbidity, reduction in health-care utilization and improvement in quality of life (2). This study evaluated the rate at which gastroenterology providers discussed or documented depression and /or anxiety in IBD patients. Methods A 5-year chart review of all IBD patients seen in a university GI clinic was conducted. A confidential database using Microsoft Excel included patient age, gender, race, disease type, depression or anxiety (in GI notes or remainder of electronic medical record) was created. Statistical analysis using Fisher’s Exact Test was performed with significance set at p<0.05. The study was approved by the institutional IRB. Results 381 records of IBD patients were reviewed. There were 209 females and 172 males (mean age 44 years; range 20–82). 96 had Crohn’s disease, 279 had Ulcerative Colitis, and 6 had indeterminate colitis. Self-reported race/ethnicity included 195 White, 97 African American (AA), 11 Asian, 1 Hawaiian, 34 other and 43 did not document an ethnicity. 66 (17.32%) patients had depression and/or anxiety, 298 (78.22%) did not have depression and/or anxiety and 17 (4.46%) patients did not have documentation of mental health discussion during appointments. In patients with depression and/or anxiety, 46.97% had it documented by a gastroenterology provider. There was no statistically significant difference of depression and / or anxiety based upon gender (p=1.000), ethnicity (White vs AA p=1.000; White vs Asian p=0.2129; Asian vs AA p=0.208) or disease type (p=0.091). Conclusion Depression is reported to occur more frequently in patients with IBD compared to the general population. However, this study revealed that university gastroenterology providers did not consistently document the presence of or a discussion about depression and/or anxiety. While this study is limited based upon size and single institution design, it suggests that increased attention to psychological health is needed in IBD patients to optimize health and clinical outcomes. References