Anxiety Disorders in Older Adults: Screening

1. Accuracy of screening tools in older adults.
2. Effectiveness of anxiety disorder screening and treatment in older adults.
3. Screening and treatment in populations defined by sex, race and ethnicity, sexual orientation, and gender identity.
4. Direct benefits and harms of screening for anxiety disorders in primary care settings (or similar settings) compared with no screening or usual care. RCTs are needed for this topic.
5. Diagnostic accuracy of screening tools that are feasible for use in primary care settings, tested among primary care patients or similar populations, using valid reference standards, and determining (and replicating) optimal cutoffs for various anxiety disorders; research is needed to identify optimal screening interval in all populations.
6. Accuracy of screening tools in pregnant and postpartum persons.
7. Effectiveness of anxiety disorder treatment in in pregnant and postpartum persons.
8. Barriers to establishing adequate systems of care related to anxiety disorders and how these barriers can be addressed.
9. Prevalence of anxiety disorders. For this topic, large epidemiologic studies are needed.

The USPSTF concludes that the current evidence is insufficient to assess the balance of benefits and harms of screening for anxiety disorders in older adults.

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