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Implementation of Universal Behavioral Health Screening in a University Health Setting

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Abstract

Universal screening at university health centers can facilitate early identification and treatment of behavioral health problems common among college students. This article describes the (a) process of implementing behavioral health screening at a university health center and (b) results of universal screening for depression, suicidal ideation, alcohol misuse, tobacco use, and sleep problems. We discuss the decision points involved in screening, including what to screen for, whom to screen, how to implement the screening measure, and how to deal with patients who screen positive. During the Spring and Fall 2010 academic semesters, 4,126 screening questionnaires were completed by students (62 % female) accessing a university health center. Each semester, 9–13 % of students screened positive for depression, 2.5–3 % for suicidal ideation, and 33–38 % for alcohol misuse, while 10 % wanted help with smoking cessation and 12–13 % with sleep problems. The results suggest that behavioral health screening in a university health center can help identify students with behavioral health concerns to increase access to care.

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Acknowledgments

The views expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not reflect the official policy of the Department of Veterans Affairs or other departments of the U.S. government. This study was supported by an American College Health Association United Healthcare Student Recourse Initiatives in College Mental and Behavioral Health grant awarded to the second author. The authors thank Cheryl Flynn, MD, MS, MA; Ben Domingo, MS, RN; Spiro Tzetzis, MD, and the rest of the staff at Syracuse University Health Services for their help with this project as well as the integrated behavioral health care program.

Conflict of Interest

Robyn L. Shepardson and Jennifer S. Funderburk declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Human and Animal Rights and Informed Consent

All procedures followed were in accordance with the ethical standards of the responsible committee on human experimentation of Syracuse University and with the Helsinki Declaration of 1975, as revised in 2000. This study was approved as Exempt by the Syracuse University Institutional Review Board, so informed consent was not required.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Integrated Healthcare, Syracuse Veterans Affairs Medical Center, 800 Irving Ave. (116C), Syracuse, NY, 13210, USA

    Robyn L. Shepardson & Jennifer S. Funderburk

  2. Department of Psychology, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY, USA

    Jennifer S. Funderburk

  3. Department of Psychiatry, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, USA

    Jennifer S. Funderburk

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  1. Robyn L. Shepardson
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  2. Jennifer S. Funderburk
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Correspondence to Robyn L. Shepardson.

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Shepardson, R.L., Funderburk, J.S. Implementation of Universal Behavioral Health Screening in a University Health Setting. J Clin Psychol Med Settings 21, 253–266 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10880-014-9401-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10880-014-9401-8

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