Is the PHQ-2 a Good Measure to Inform Providers About Patient Well-Being and Functioning? Data From the Veterans Health and Life Survey.

Background: Health care systems are increasingly focused on assessing patient well-being and functioning. The objective of the current analysis was to evaluate a pragmatic question: to what extent and in what way can the PHQ-2, a routinely collected screening measure, be used to help clinicians and a learning health system understand the well-being and functioning of its beneficiaries?

Methods: The current analysis focused on 2872 Veterans who completed a large-scale longitudinal survey about health and wellness for whom we were able to link survey responses to PHQ-2 scores recorded in their electronic health records (EHR). Regression analyses examined the cross-sectional and longitudinal associations between PHQ-2 scores recorded in the EHR and measures of well-being (life satisfaction, purpose in life, and social health) and functioning (pain severity and interference, physical and mental health, and perceived stress).

Results: Veterans were aged 65 years on average (11% women). PHQ-2 scores were correlated cross-sectionally with all well-being and functioning measures; however, there was minimal variance accounted for. Changes in the PHQ-2 over time were associated with 3 measures: purpose in life (b = -0.19; 95% CI: -0.34, -0.04), mental health functioning (b = -0.29, 95% CI: -0.54, -0.04), and perceived stress (b = 0.13; 95% CI: 0.02, 0.24).

Conclusions: The PHQ-2 was minimally associated with patient well-being and functioning, with more work needed on how the PHQ-2 may be used in large health care settings within the context of VA Whole Health. Assessment of well-being is critical as VA's Whole Health transformation continues, and identifying strategies for well-being measurement is an integral next step.