title: Effects of a question prompt sheet on active patient behaviour: a randomized controlled trial with depressed outpatients.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  A deeper engagement into medical decision-making is demanded by treatment guidelines for patients with affective disorders. There is to date little evidence on what facilitates active behaviour of patients with depression. In general medicine 'question prompt sheets' (QPSs) have been shown to change patients' behaviour in the consultation and improve treatment satisfaction but there is no evidence for such interventions for mental health settings.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To study the effects of a QPS on active patient behaviour in the consultation.
  
  
  METHODS
  Randomized controlled trial (involving N = 100 outpatients with depression) evaluating the effects of a QPS on patients' behaviour in the consultation.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The QPS showed no influence on the number of topics raised by patients (p = .13) nor on the external rater's perception of 'Who made the decisions in today's consultation?' (p = .50).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A QPS did not change depressed patients' behaviour in the consultation. More complex interventions might be needed to change depressed patients' behaviour within an established doctor-patient dyad. Patient seminars addressing behavioural aspects have been shown to be effective in other settings and may also be feasible for outpatients with affective disorders.
authors: 1Klinik und Poliklinik für Psychiatrie und Psychotherapie der Technischen Universität München, München, Germany.
authors: Johannes
authors: J
authors: Hamann
authors: Nikolaos
authors: N
authors: Maris
authors: Paraskevi
authors: P
authors: Iosifidou
authors: Rosmarie
authors: R
authors: Mendel
authors: Rudolf
authors: R
authors: Cohen
authors: Petra
authors: P
authors: Wolf
authors: Werner
authors: W
authors: Kissling
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003142:Communication; D003463:Cues; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010045:Outpatients / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D010358:Patient Participation / Q000379:methods* / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D017060:Patient Satisfaction / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: Shared decision-making; adherence; communication; depression; health services research; patient autonomy