Improving quality of care for depression: the German Action Programme for the implementation of evidence-based guidelines.
OBJECTIVE
Depressive disorders are of great medical and political significance. The potential inherent in achieving better guideline orientation and a better collaboration between different types of care is clear. Throughout the 1990s, educational initiatives were started for implementing guidelines. Evidence-based guidelines on depression have been formulated in many countries.


OBJECTIVE
This article presents an action programme for structural, educational, and research-related measures to implement evidence-based care of depressive disorders in the German health system. The starting points of the programme are the 'Guidelines Critical Appraisal Reports' of the 'Guideline Clearing House' and measures from the 'Competence Network on Depression and Suicidality' (CNDS) funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research. The article gives an overview of the steps achieved as recommended by the Guidelines Critical Appraisal Reports and the ongoing transfer process into the German health care system.


RESULTS
The action programme shows that comprehensive interventions to develop and introduce evidence-based guidelines for depression can achieve benefits in the care of depression, e.g. in recognition, management, and clinical outcome.


CONCLUSIONS
It was possible to implement the German Action Programme in selected care settings, and initial evaluation results suggest some improvements. The action programme provides preliminary work, materials, and results for developing a future 'Disease Management Programme' (DMP) for depression.
Härter
Martin
M
Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany. martin_haerter@psyallg.ukl.uni-freiburg.de
Bermejo
Isaac
I
Ollenschläger
Günter
G
Schneider
Frank
F
Gaebel
Wolfgang
W
Hegerl
Ulrich
U
Niebling
Wilhelm
W
Berger
Mathias
M
D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000628:therapy*; D019468:Disease Management; D004502:Education, Medical, Continuing; D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine; D005858:Germany; D006266:Health Education; D006284:Health Plan Implementation; D006801:Humans; D009313:National Health Programs / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000592:standards*; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D011785:Quality Assurance, Health Care; D019984:Quality Indicators, Health Care; D040241:Social Marketing; D000092864:Suicide Prevention