FAQ

Q) What makes this survey better than the standard CES-D or similar depression surveys?

A) First, both the CES-DM© and the MDDS© employ the IRGS© technology data collection system. This system allows for more precise and accurate collection of patient responses. Each item is assigned its own weighting, because various responses are more indicative of severe depression than others. This prevents oversimplified summative values from suggesting problems when none exist, and significantly limits the likelihood that severe conditions will be overlooked.

From an administrative perspective, the system automatically scores responses, preventing the possibility of clerical or arithmetic error in scoring. In that the report is created instantaneously, there is no delay in providing the information to the clinician and it is already in a format suitable for printing or electronic storage (no keying entry required for storage).

Q) Are these depression surveys validated?

A) As your measurement consultant most likely mentioned, the CES-DM© is based on the popular and thoroughly validated CES-D. Because the CES-DM© is derived from the CES-D, the same psychological indicators are addressed. For example, in the basic CES-D, appetite variation is tested with the statement, "I did not feel like eating, my appetite was poor." The equivalent CES-DM© statement is, "My appetite is the same as usual." Regarding emotional display, the CES-D statement is, "I had crying spells." The equivalent CES-DM© statement is, "It is very uncommon for me to have crying spells."

It is worth noting that although the areas of inquiry are similar, the complete process is different in several significant and better ways. Changes include the use of the IRGS© scaling system; a carefully applied weighting of items to ensure greater precision in analysis; and positive statement wording to help prevent "false positives" to name a few.

Q) How do I know that the patients are being honest in their answers?

A) No assessment (or live interview for that matter) can guarantee that patients are going to give completely honest answers. In fact some will try to be less than honest for any of a variety of reasons. To help identify instances where there may be some attempt to "fake out" the assessment, we have built in three elements:

1. The assessment has a timing device connected to it; if a patient takes an excessively long time to complete the items this fact is noted on the report
2. Selected items have "veracity checks." This means the same item is presented more than once to see if the responses are the same or similar-dissimilar answers will show up on the report. There is no mechanism for a patient to go back to check on earlier answers.
3. The absence of numbers on the IRGS© grids make it virtually impossible for a patient to recall where a mark was placed on a grid from an earlier assessment; this means that multiple assessments over time are not subject to duplication or adjustment of recalled answers from earlier assessments

Q) In what ways is my patient's information secured?

A) Although the items and the responses are recorded via the Internet and stored on our servers, there is no identifying patient information attached to the survey responses themselves. All recognizable patient information is created, printed, and/or stored by you or your staff locally. In terms of general security, 128 bit encryption is employed in data transfer across the internet and we employ SSL technology on our server infrastructures.

Q) Do my patients have to answer all of the questions?

A) Yes, when using the CES-DM©, they will be responding to a set of only 20 items. The expected time of completion is typically between 2.5 and 3.5 minutes.

In those instances where a patient is invited to complete the MDDS© analysis, the question set increases significantly but the patient should be able to complete the instrument in less than 30 minutes in most cases.

Q) How do I view my results? Can a patient view results?

A) Results are released following entry of the appropriate password and patient identification information. All this information is maintained locally (within your office or facility). The display will be presented in a PDF format. This format allows easy printing, or saving to your local computer for disposition as you choose, such as sending to your electronic medical records (EMR) system or in another manner of your choosing.

The option for a patient to see the results is entirely yours.

Q) Can the surveys be customized?

A) We will work with clients to develop a "header" section that includes the organization name, logo, pictures, etc. The background colors and overall styling are specifically designed to maintain a neutral-to-positive mental state for the respondents. Therefore, we do not recommend significant changes to the form itself.