Understanding changes in primary care clinicians' satisfaction from depression care activities during adoption of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors.
OBJECTIVE
To describe how primary care clinicians' perceptions about depression care as a clinical activity changed during the adoption of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) in their health maintenance organization (HMO).


METHODS
Prospective study of change in primary care clinicians' level of satisfaction from depression care activities from time 1 (mid-1993) to time 2 (early 1995).


METHODS
Study subjects were internal medicine and family practice physicians, physician assistants, and nurse practitioners (n = 196) in a large, not-for-profit group-model HMO. We modeled level of satisfaction from depression care activities at time 2 as a function of changes in depression-care-related attitudes and perceptions over the study period, controlling for time 1 level of satisfaction and personal and professional characteristics.


RESULTS
Overall satisfaction showed a small, statistically significant improvement over the study period. Time 2 satisfaction was a function of improved perceptions about the feasibility of primary care treatment of depression, which in turn were related to improved perceptions about the effectiveness of drug treatment. The relevance of clinicians' perceptions about their own depression care skills declined concomitantly.


CONCLUSIONS
The adoption of SSRIs in the HMO was associated with improvement in primary care clinicians' perceptions about their ability to successfully treat depression (especially using pharmacology) and in their overall satisfaction from depression care activities. Future research should address whether reliance on SSRIs replaces the use of other depression treatment modalities, and if so, how this reliance affects patient outcomes and satisfaction and overall healthcare costs.
Shye
Diana
D
Kaiser Permanente, Center for Health Research, Portland, OR, USA. diana.shye@moh.health.gov.il
Brown
Jonathan B
JB
Mullooly
John P
JP
Nichols
Gregory A
GA
D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D002983:Clinical Competence; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000188:drug therapy*; D005260:Female; D006279:Health Maintenance Organizations; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D007588:Job Satisfaction; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017146:Models, Organizational; D015205:Northwestern United States; D009939:Organizations, Nonprofit; D010821:Physicians, Family / Q000523:psychology*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D017367:Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
D017367:Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors