| Authors & Year | Aim | Findings | Strengths/Weaknesses |
| Daele et al. 2014, Belgium [13] | Exploring the confidence and attitude of home nurses in professional competence concerning depression, then evaluate the capacity of minimal intervention for nurses to detect depression in patients and caregiver | -Nurses’ attitude/confidence in professional competences shows no significant changes, but for the role attitude decline for home nurses in the experimental group -Significant differences in the intervention group of identifying depressed patients compared with controls | Strengths Quasi experimental design allows more accurate results Weaknesses Follow up studies are open to respondent attrition. |
| Butler & Quayle 2007, Ireland [30] | Evaluate late-life depression education effectiveness on elevating nurses’ knowledge and assess the educational impact of nurses’ attitude toward depressed elderly people | -Significant differences in “correct and incorrect” responses between pre- and post-training -Attitudes towards depression were positive following training which were significant -Short training program on late-life depression was effective | Strengths The study used validated tools thus valid results Weaknesses Uncontrolled design results to bias effects in study |
| Worrall-Carter et al. 2012, UK [31] | Identify nurses’ knowledge and practice regarding depression screening and referral for cardiac patients following the implementation of education workshops and a validated screening tool with referral actions | -80% reported a “good” understanding of depression, post-program compared to 30% at baseline -60% reported routinely using the depression screening and referral tool -The interviews identified three main themes: knowledge improvement; perceived self-efficacy and new knowledge into practice | Strengths Use of validated tools Weaknesses Pre- and post-test design is open to respondent attrition. |
| Sanders 2006, USA [32] | Explore the depression screening practices of certified nurse-midwives and certified midwives and examine its associated factors | -Attitude, perceived ability, knowledge, and education accounted for 20% of the variance in depression screening conducted by certified nurse-midwives and certified midwives | Strengths Participants distribution, enhanced more varied results with less sample bias effects Weaknesses Use individualized tool reduced results quality |
| Choi et al. 2009, USA [33] | Examine nursing home staff their opinions and experience of residents’ risk factors of depression and explore current intervention programs and staff training | -Participants indicate that the most common sign of depression in residents is social withdrawal as a result of grief, loss of control, independence, anxiety, and changing of their past lifestyle -75% of their residents’ families were not involved with their relative | Strengths Criteria of sample selection reduced issues of bias in sample selection Weaknesses Interviews used were open to interviewer bias |