Depression assessment and management: evaluating a community-based mental health training program for nurses.

This mental health training program was designed to increase primary care nurses' knowledge and skills about depression. The program emphasized criteria for assessing depression, presented psychopharmacologic and psychotherapeutic content, discussed care coordination among several agencies and providers, and addressed referral resources. Cultural and developmental issues were highlighted. The 237 participants had significant knowledge gains after the program on comparison of pretest and posttest measures. Client record audit found significant increases in the assessment of and intervention with depression. The training program successfully increased primary care nurses' abilities to use knowledge about depression in clinical practice.