[Validation of the Spanish version of PRIME-MD: a procedure for diagnosing mental disorders in primary care].

INTRODUCTION: Psychiatric disorders occurs in at least 20% of patients attending Primary Care settings, however, only 50% of them are detected by primary care physicians. Therefore a tool is required which can help primary care physicians to detect and diagnose psychiatric disorders. PRIME-MD (Primary Care Evaluation of Mental Disorders) is a questionnaire designed with this aim. In this article the results of the validation study of the Spanish version of this questionnaire are presented.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: 312 patients were interviewed by primary care physicians using PRIME-MD and by psychiatrists using SCAN (Schedules for Clinical Assessment in Neuropsychiatry).
RESULTS: The time most frequently spent in questionnaire application by the physician was 10 minutes. PRIME-MD detected the presence of at least one psychiatric disorder in 44.3% of patients. PRIME-MD diagnoses agree well with SCAN diagnoses for mood disorders (coefficient of agreement: 0.50) and for anxiety disorders (coefficient of agreement: 0.35), but not for somatoform disorders or alcohol-related disorders.
CONCLUSIONS: The Spanish version of PRIME-MD questionnaire in a useful tool to identify and diagnose mood and anxiety disorders in Primary Care settings.