Week 3
Depression is the origin for many medical problems worldwide and It is the root cause of
disability for many. According to Cheruvu, V.K. and Chiyaka, E.T., (2019) depression among
older adults is a major public health concern and it is projected to be the leading cause of illness
burden in the United States. Last two years; we have seen the rise in the mental illnesses
nationwide; therefore, I selected a quantitative study that aims to investigate in delay of
seeking treatment for depression due to cost of care.
I daily assess and evaluate older adults for depression in office using phq-9 depression
questionnaire but never occurred to me that cost of care could delay seeking medical attention.
Selecting this article gave me a different perspective. Most studies I read about depression is not
about cost of treatment; it is about the management of depression. If you ask me as a healthcare
professional; I would say that some patients do not seek help because they are worried about the
stigma, some believe they will start feeling better but don’t have access to care but according to
Cheruvu, V.K. and Chiyaka, E.T., (2019) patients may have health insurance but not the out-of-
pocket cost (Cheruvu, V.K., Chiyaka, E.T., 2019). Therefore, researchers investigated whether
there is a delay in seeking medical help when needed for treatment of depression due to cost of
care amongst older adults (Cheruvu, V.K., 2019). The quantitative/descriptive study used a cross
sectional study design to collect data from the 2011 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System
Survey (BFRSS) including 12 states and Puerto Rico were used for this study (Cheruvu, V.K.,
Chiyaka, E.T., 2019). BRFSS is a telephone survey that is funded federally and used annually by
the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in collaboration with most state health
departments (Cheruvu, V.K., 2019).The survey, BRFSS is designed to collect data on selected
older adult patients’ health conditions, practices, demographics (race, income level, insurance
status) and risk behaviors. One of limitations for the study; BRFSS is a self-reported survey, and
this could be the reason for some biased patients’ responses (Cheruvu, V.K., Chiyaka, E.T.,
2019).
Depression is the origin for many medical problems worldwide and It is the root cause of
disability for many. According to Cheruvu, V.K. and Chiyaka, E.T., (2019) depression among
older adults is a major public health concern and it is projected to be the leading cause of illness
burden in the United States. Last two years; we have seen the rise in the mental illnesses
nationwide; therefore, I selected a quantitative study that aims to investigate in delay of
seeking treatment for depression due to cost of care.
I daily assess and evaluate older adults for depression in office using phq-9 depression
questionnaire but never occurred to me that cost of care could delay seeking medical attention.
Selecting this article gave me a different perspective. Most studies I read about depression is not
about cost of treatment; it is about the management of depression. If you ask me as a healthcare
professional; I would say that some patients do not seek help because they are worried about the
stigma, some believe they will start feeling better but don’t have access to care but according to
Cheruvu, V.K. and Chiyaka, E.T., (2019) patients may have health insurance but not the out-of-
pocket cost (Cheruvu, V.K., Chiyaka, E.T., 2019). Therefore, researchers investigated whether
there is a delay in seeking medical help when needed for treatment of depression due to cost of
care amongst older adults (Cheruvu, V.K., 2019). The quantitative/descriptive study used a cross
sectional study design to collect data from the 2011 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System
Survey (BFRSS) including 12 states and Puerto Rico were used for this study (Cheruvu, V.K.,
Chiyaka, E.T., 2019). BRFSS is a telephone survey that is funded federally and used annually by
the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in collaboration with most state health
departments (Cheruvu, V.K., 2019).The survey, BRFSS is designed to collect data on selected
older adult patients’ health conditions, practices, demographics (race, income level, insurance
status) and risk behaviors. One of limitations for the study; BRFSS is a self-reported survey, and
this could be the reason for some biased patients’ responses (Cheruvu, V.K., Chiyaka, E.T.,
2019).
