Watchful Waiting

Watchful Waiting is a telephone-based mechanism for monitoring patients with symptoms of minor or subsyndromal depression to determine those in need of more formal care or those that have symptoms that resolve relatively quickly. The goal of this program is to reserve depression treatment for those in need and not prescribe treatment in patients without clear signs of a depressive disorder. Watchful Waiting involves weekly phone calls from a Health Technician for up to 8 weeks to monitor symptoms of depression using the PHQ-9 scale. During this monitoring period, patients who request either additional treatment or exhibit persistence of depressive symptoms and disability related to their symptoms are offered treatment with the Disease Management depression algorithm.

Home | Administration and Structure Main Page | Contact BHL