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Because of the clinical relevance of PAD, controlled studies and specialized programmes for prevention and treatment are urgently required.

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Background: Depressive disorders (TD) is a set of prevalent diseases that require proper diagnosis and treatment. In Chile, the instruments of evaluation and diagnosis are scarce. As a way to address this diffi culty, the objective of this study was to validate the Spanish version of the self-reported Patient Health Questionarie (PHQ-9), the consulting population in primary care in Chile. The PHQ-9 to detect depressive symptoms as mild, moderate or severe, and has proven to be an effi cient diagnostic tool. Methods: 1327 patients evaluated in June 2005 from fi ve urban general practices of the Commune of Valdivia answered individually the PHQ-9. A subsample was compared with the Hamilton scale for depression, ICD-10 criteria for depression and XX version of the PHQ-9. Results: The PHQ-9 demonstrated a sensitivity of 92% and 89% specifi city in detecting depressive patients, when compared to the Hamilton-D scale. It presents a construct validity and predictive validity concurrent with the ICD-10 criteria for depression. Conclusions: The PHQ-9 showed a psychometric allowing clinical use in primary care patients in Chile.

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