Depression revealed: the need for screening, treatment, and monitoring.

Depression is common among both the elderly and those with chronic conditions. Unidentified and inadequately treated depression in home health patients has serious and costly consequences. The authors argue that many negative consequences can be avoided by careful management. They discuss the importance of adding a structured depression tool to routine assessments when indicated, present a 3-step approach for depression screening and monitoring, and describe 1 method for tool selection based on measurement soundness and utility.