Depression Care Management for Depressed Elders in China Primary Care

Summary

Using a randomized controlled design, the investigators will examine whether the DCM is an effective treatment for patients with late life depression in urban China. Our specific aims are: (1) to determine whether the DCM intervention results in improved outcomes compared with CAU at both the provider (e.g., greater adherence to quality indicators) and patient levels (e.g., greater reduction in depressive symptoms); and (2) to compare DCM with CAU with regard to a range of outcomes in other pertinent domains, both at the provider (e.g., improvements in knowledge/attitudes) and patient (e.g., functioning, satisfaction) levels. The study will take place in 16 primary care clinics (PCCs) randomly assigned to deliver either DCM or CAU (8 clinics each) to 320 patients (aged≥60 years) with major depression (20/clinic; n=160 in each treatment condition). In the DCM arm, PCPs will prescribe 16 weeks of antidepressant medication according to the TG protocol. CMs monitor the progress of treatment and side effects, educate patients/family, and facilitate communication between providers; psychiatrists will provide weekly group psychiatric consultation and CM supervision. Patients in both DCM and CAU arms will be assessed by clinical research coordinators at baseline, 4, 8, 12, 18, and 24 months. HDRS, MMSE, CAS, SF-12, Treatment Stigma and the Client Satisfaction Questionnaire will be used to assess patients' outcomes; and clinic practices, attitudes/knowledge, and satisfaction will be providers' outcomes.

Timeline

Start

2010-08

Primary completion

2014-02

Completion

2014-07

Publications

• Background Chen S, Chiu H, Xu B, Ma Y, Jin T, Wu M, Conwell Y. Reliability and validity of the PHQ-9 for screening late-life depression in Chinese primary care. Int J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2010 Nov;25(11):1127-33. doi: 10.1002/gps.2442.
• Chen S, Conwell Y, He J, Lu N, Wu J. Depression care management for adults older than 60 years in primary care clinics in urban China: a cluster-randomised trial. Lancet Psychiatry. 2015 Apr;2(4):332-9. doi: 10.1016/S2215-0366(15)00002-4. Epub 2015 Mar 31.
• Chen S, Conwell Y, Xu B, Chiu H, Tu X, Ma Y. Depression care management for late-life depression in China primary care: protocol for a randomized controlled trial. Trials. 2011 May 13;12:121. doi: 10.1186/1745-6215-12-121.

Drugs

Indications