NATIONAL HEALTH PROMOTION POLICY AND IMPLEMENTATION OF DEPRESSION SCREENING FOR ADULTS ATTENDING PRIMARY HEALTH CARE IN NIGERIA

Abstract

The concept of prevention in national health promotion policy includes early diagnosis through regular screening for diseases such as depression and prompt treatment of afflicted persons to promote, prevent complications and improve health response outcome. The review assessed the implementation of the national health promotion policy and its roles in facilitating depression screening for adults in primary healthcare in Nigeria. The methodology employed was searching of databases for the selection of n=22 articles that met the inclusion criteria. The selected articles were collated, analysed, and the results interpreted. The results revealed that the existing national health promotion policy should be expanded to include depression screening in primary health care. In conclusion, health promotion policy implementation on depression screening in primary health care is not receiving the deserved attention. It is recommended that policymakers and stakeholders should encourage a task-shifting approach for the successful implementation of depression screening in primary care in Nigeria.