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Depression screening — USMLE Step 3 MCQ

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HardPreventive Medicine, Epidemiology, BiostatisticsDepression screeningUSMLE Step 3

A primary-care system plans universal adult depression screening. Which implementation feature is necessary to make screening clinically useful?

Educational content. Not a substitute for clinical judgement or local policy.

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Correct answer: A — Evaluate positive screens diagnostically, provide treatment, and arrange follow-up

The best answer is “Evaluate positive screens diagnostically, provide treatment, and arrange follow-up”. USPSTF screening is intended to identify patients for further diagnostic evaluation and evidence-based care; a positive questionnaire is not itself a diagnosis. Systems must support accurate diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up rather than merely accumulating scores.

Reference: USPSTF: Depression and Suicide Risk in Adults—Screening: https://www.uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org/uspstf/recommendation/screening-depression-suicide-risk-adults