Training residents in problem-solving treatment of depression: a pilot feasibility and impact study.
OBJECTIVE
Primary care patients with depression may prefer or require a non-pharmacological treatment such as counseling. We investigated the feasibility of teaching family medicine residents an evidence-based brief counseling intervention for depression (Problem-solving Treatment of Depression for Primary Care [PST-PC]).


METHODS
Eleven residents over 3 consecutive years were provided a brief training program in PST-PC. Residents were evaluated for skill acquisition, changes in self efficacy, intentions to improve their care for depression, and post-residency integration of PST-PC into their daily practice.


RESULTS
Trainees met established criteria for competency to administer PST-PC. They improved to moderate-to-high levels of self efficacy for treating depression, including for their counseling skills, and in their intentions to improve their depression management. At up to 3 years post residency, 90% indicated they were using PST-PC, often in a modified form, and also for illnesses other than depression. They indicated they would recommend the training to new residents.


CONCLUSIONS
The PST-PC training program evaluated in this study is feasible in residency training and appears to influence practice post residency. These findings warrant continued investigation of this training program with a larger sample of residents and evaluation of outcomes with depressed patients treated with PST-PC in real-world practice settings.
Department of Psychiatry, Dartmouth Medical School, Hanover, NH 03755, USA. mark.t.hegel@dartmouth.edu
Mark T
MT
Hegel
Allen J
AJ
Dietrich
Janette L
JL
Seville
Caren B
CB
Jordan
D002983:Clinical Competence / Q000592:standards; D003863:Depression / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy*; D004503:Education, Medical, Graduate / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards; D005194:Family Practice / Q000193:education*; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D006801:Humans; D007396:Internship and Residency; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011340:Problem Solving; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D020377:Self Efficacy