Medscape (9/27, Mulcahy) reports that research presented here at the American Society for Radiation Oncology 55th Annual Meeting suggests that a brief “2-question survey can effectively screen cancer patients for depression.” The test, called “PHQ-2 [Patient Health Questionaire-2], asks how often, in the past 2 weeks, the patient has felt ‘little interest or pleasure in doing things,’ and how often the patient has felt ‘down, depressed, or hopeless.’” Researchers found that “the quick quiz identified patients at risk for depression as well as or better than longer surveys did.” The study included 455 patients.
