Collaborative Care May Help Patients with Depression and Other Illnesses

Collaborative care interventions may improve outcomes for depression symptoms, remission, depression-free days, and quality of life in primary care patients experiencing both depression and other chronic medical conditions, according to a new research review from AHRQ’s Effective Health Care Program. Little evidence was available on the effect of collaborative care treatment on medical outcomes for arthritis, cancer, diabetes, heart disease, and HIV, except for HbA1c (a measurement of blood sugar) in diabetes, which showed no difference between collaborative care treatment and usual care. The review, Practice-Based Interventions Addressing Concomitant Depression and Chronic Medical Conditions in the Primary Care Setting, recommends that future studies examine a broader range of medical conditions and compare variations of practice-based interventions.

http://www.effectivehealthcare.ahrq.gov/ehc/products/297/1219/CER75_Concomitant-Depression_FinalReport_20120808.pdf