title: Use of a self-rating scale to monitor depression severity in recurrent GP consultations in primary care - does it really make a difference? A randomised controlled study.
abstract: Little information is available about whether the use of self-assessment instruments in primary care affects depression course and outcome. The purpose was to evaluate whether using a depression self-rating scale in recurrent person-centred GP consultations affected depression severity, quality of life, medication use, and sick leave frequency.
  
  
  
  Patients in the intervention group met their GP regularly at least 4 times during the 3 months intervention. In addition to treatment as usual (TAU), patients completed a self-assessment instrument (Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale) on each occasion, and then GPs used the completed instrument as the basis for a person-centred discussion of changes in depression symptoms. The control group received TAU. Frequency of visits in the TAU arm was the result of the GPs' and patients' joint assessments of care need in each case. Depression severity was measured with Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II), quality of life with EQ-5D, and psychological well-being with the General Health Questionnaire-12 (GHQ-12). Data on sick leave, antidepressant and sedatives use, and care contacts were collected from electronic patient records. All variables were measured at baseline and 3, 6, and 12 months. Mean intra-individual changes were compared between the intervention and TAU group.
  
  
  
  There were no significant differences between the intervention and control group in depression severity reduction or remission rate, change in quality of life, psychological well-being, sedative prescriptions, or sick leave during the whole 12-month follow-up. However, significantly more patients in the intervention group continued antidepressants until the 6 month follow-up (86/125 vs 78/133, p < 0.05).
  
  
  
  When GPs used a depression self-rating scale in recurrent consultations, patients more often continued antidepressant medication according to guidelines, compared to TAU patients. However, reduction of depressive symptoms, remission rate, quality of life, psychological well-being, sedative use, sick leave, and health care use 4-12 months was not significantly different from the TAU group. These findings suggest that frequent use of depression rating scales in person-centred primary care consultations has no further additional effect on patients' depression or well-being, sick leave, or health care use.
  
  
  
  ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01402206 . Registered June 27 2011(retrospectively registered).
authors.affiliation: Department of Primary Health Care/Public Health and Community Medicine, Institute of Medicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Wikberg
authors.affiliation: Division for Family Medicine, Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Westman
authors.affiliation: Department of Primary Health Care/Public Health and Community Medicine, Institute of Medicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.|Region Västra Götaland, Närhälsan Research and Development Primary Health Care, Gothenburg, Sweden.
authors.forename: E-L
authors.initials: EL
authors.lastname: Petersson
authors.affiliation: Region Västra Götaland, Närhälsan Research and Development Primary Health Care, Gothenburg, Sweden.|Department of Health and Rehabilitation, Unit of Physiotherapy, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.
authors.forename: M E H
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Larsson
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health and Caring Sciences - Family Medicine and Preventive Medicine, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: André
authors.affiliation: Department of Primary Health Care/Public Health and Community Medicine, Institute of Medicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.|Region Västra Götaland, Närhälsan Research and Development Primary Health Care, Gothenburg, Sweden.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Eggertsen
authors.affiliation: Department of Primary Health Care/Public Health and Community Medicine, Institute of Medicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.|Region Västra Götaland, Närhälsan Research and Development Primary Health Care, Gothenburg, Sweden.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Thorn
authors.affiliation: Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ågren
authors.affiliation: Department of Primary Health Care/Public Health and Community Medicine, Institute of Medicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden. cecilia.bjorkelund@allmed.gu.se.
authors.forename: C
authors.identifier: 0000-0003-4083-7342
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Björkelund
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000928:Antidepressive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D019468:Disease Management; D005260:Female; D058006:General Practice; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011320:Primary Health Care; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D011788:Quality of Life; D012017:Referral and Consultation; D057566:Self Report; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D018582:Sick Leave
chemical_list: D000928:Antidepressive Agents
keywords: Adherence; Depression; Primary care; Quality-of- life; Self-assessment instrument; Sick-leave