Effectiveness of antidepressant pharmacotherapy: the impact of medication compliance and patient education

Effectiveness of interventions to improve medication adherence in adults with depressive disorders: a meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Non-adherence to medication is a major obstacle in the treatment of depressive disorders. We systematically reviewed the literature to evaluate the effectiveness of interventions aimed at improving adherence to medication among adults with depressive disorders with emphasis on initiation and implementation phase.

METHODS

We searched Medline, EMBASE, The Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), PsycINFO, Social Science Citation Index and Science Citation Index for randomized or non-randomized controlled trials up to January 2022. Risk of bias was assessed using the criteria of the Cochrane Collaboration. Meta-analyses, cumulative and meta-regression analyses for adherence were conducted.

RESULTS

Forty-six trials (n = 24,324) were included. Pooled estimate indicates an increase in the probability of adherence to antidepressants at 6 months with the different types of interventions (OR 1.33; 95% CI: 1.09 to 1.62). The improvement in adherence is obtained from 3 months (OR 1.62, 95% CI: 1.25 to 2.10) but it is attenuated at 12 months (OR 1.25, 95% CI: 1.02 to 1.53). Selected articles show methodological differences, mainly the diversity of both the severity of the depressive disorder and intervention procedures. In the samples of these studies, patients with depression and anxiety seem to benefit most from intervention (OR 2.77, 95% CI: 1.74 to 4.42) and collaborative care is the most effective intervention to improve adherence (OR 1.88, 95% CI: 1.40 to 2.54).

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings indicate that interventions aimed at improving adherence to medication among adults with depressive disorders are effective up to six months. However, the evidence on the effectiveness of long-term adherence is insufficient and supports the need for further research efforts.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

International Prospective Register for Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO) number: CRD42017065723 .

Efficacy of ketamine and esketamine on functional outcomes in treatment-resistant depression: A systematic review

BACKGROUND

In recent years, ketamine and esketamine treatment have demonstrated rapid antidepressant effects in adults with treatment-resistant depression (TRD). Hitherto, relatively few studies have reported the effect of ketamine/esketamine treatment on functional outcomes (e.g., psychosocial functioning, workplace functioning). Herein, we review and synthesize extant literature reporting functional outcomes with ketamine/esketamine treatment in adults with TRD.

METHODS

A systematic review of clinical studies reporting subjective or objective ratings of general functioning as primary or secondary outcomes was performed.

RESULTS

Four randomized-controlled trials, one open-label clinical study and one case series reported on the efficacy of ketamine/esketamine on subjective measures of general functioning. Overall, mixed results were reported with respect to the effect across disparate functional measures (e.g., Sheehan Disability Scale [SDS]) using ketamine/esketamine. A single study demonstrated a significant decrease (i.e., improvement) in SDS total scores in TRD with esketamine treatment; most studies, however, did not report on functional outcomes and have functional outcomes as a (co)-primary outcome measure.

LIMITATIONS

Clinical studies that were included evaluated work- or social-related disability as a secondary outcome using subjective rating scales.

CONCLUSION

Functional outcomes in adults with TRD receiving ketamine/esketamine was insufficiently characterized. Available evidence indicates that improvements in general psychosocial functioning is apparent. The association, if any, between symptomatic improvement and functional improvement in TRD, as well as the temporality to improve functioning, are future research vistas.

How can we improve antidepressant adherence in the management of depression? A targeted review and 10 clinical recommendations

Adherence to antidepressants is crucial for optimal treatment outcomes when treating depressive disorders. However, poor adherence is common among patients prescribed antidepressants. This targeted review summarizes the main factors associated with poor adherence, interventions that promote antidepressant adherence, pharmacological aspects related to antidepressant adherence, and formulates 10 clinical recommendations to optimize antidepressant adherence. Patient-related factors associated with antidepressant non-adherence include younger age, psychiatric and medical comorbidities, cognitive impairment, and substance use disorders. Prescriber behavior-related factors include neglecting medical and family histories, selecting poorly tolerated antidepressants, or complex antidepressant regimens. Multi-disciplinary interventions targeting both patient and prescriber, aimed at improving antidepressant adherence, include psychoeducation and providing the patient with clear behavioral interventions to prevent/minimize poor adherence. Regarding antidepressant choice, agents with individually tailored tolerability profile should be chosen. Ten clinical recommendations include four points focusing on the patient (therapeutic alliance, adequate history taking, measurement of depressive symptoms, and adverse effects improved access to clinical care), three focusing on prescribing practice (psychoeducation, individually tailored antidepressant choice, simplified regimen), two focusing on mental health services (improved access to mental health care, incentivized adherence promotion and monitoring), and one relating to adherence measurement (adherence measurement with scales and/or therapeutic drug monitoring).

Interventions to improve return to work in depressed people

BACKGROUND

Work disability such as sickness absence is common in people with depression.

OBJECTIVES

To evaluate the effectiveness of interventions aimed at reducing work disability in employees with depressive disorders.

SEARCH METHODS

We searched CENTRAL (The Cochrane Library), MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, and PsycINFO until April 4th 2020.

SELECTION CRITERIA

We included randomised controlled trials (RCTs) and cluster-RCTs of work-directed and clinical interventions for depressed people that included days of sickness absence or being off work as an outcome. We also analysed the effects on depression and work functioning.

DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS

Two review authors independently extracted the data and rated the certainty of the evidence using GRADE. We used standardised mean differences (SMDs) or risk ratios (RR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) to pool study results in studies we judged to be sufficiently similar.  MAIN RESULTS: In this update, we added 23 new studies. In total, we included 45 studies with 88 study arms, involving 12,109 participants with either a major depressive disorder or a high level of depressive symptoms. Risk of bias The most common types of bias risk were detection bias (27 studies) and attrition bias (22 studies), both for the outcome of sickness absence. Work-directed interventions Work-directed interventions combined with clinical interventions A combination of a work-directed intervention and a clinical intervention probably reduces days of sickness absence within the first year of follow-up (SMD -0.25, 95% CI -0.38 to -0.12; 9 studies; moderate-certainty evidence). This translates back to 0.5 fewer (95% CI -0.7 to -0.2) sick leave days in the past two weeks or 25 fewer days during one year (95% CI -37.5 to -11.8). The intervention does not lead to fewer persons being off work beyond one year follow-up (RR 0.96, 95% CI 0.85 to 1.09; 2 studies, high-certainty evidence). The intervention may reduce depressive symptoms (SMD -0.25, 95% CI -0.49 to -0.01; 8 studies, low-certainty evidence) and probably has a small effect on work functioning (SMD -0.19, 95% CI -0.42 to 0.06; 5 studies, moderate-certainty evidence) within the first year of follow-up.  Stand alone work-directed interventions A specific work-directed intervention alone may increase the number of sickness absence days compared with work-directed care as usual (SMD 0.39, 95% CI 0.04 to 0.74; 2 studies, low-certainty evidence) but probably does not lead to more people being off work within the first year of follow-up (RR 0.93, 95% CI 0.77 to 1.11; 1 study, moderate-certainty evidence) or beyond (RR 1.00, 95% CI 0.82 to 1.22; 2 studies, moderate-certainty evidence). There is probably no effect on depressive symptoms (SMD -0.10, 95% -0.30 CI to 0.10; 4 studies, moderate-certainty evidence) within the first year of follow-up and there may be no effect on depressive symptoms beyond that time (SMD 0.18, 95% CI -0.13 to 0.49; 1 study, low-certainty evidence). The intervention may also not lead to better work functioning (SMD -0.32, 95% CI -0.90 to 0.26; 1 study, low-certainty evidence) within the first year of follow-up.   Psychological interventions A psychological intervention, either face-to-face, or an E-mental health intervention, with or without professional guidance, may reduce the number of sickness absence days, compared with care as usual (SMD -0.15, 95% CI -0.28 to -0.03; 9 studies, low-certainty evidence). It may also reduce depressive symptoms (SMD -0.30, 95% CI -0.45 to -0.15, 8 studies, low-certainty evidence). We are uncertain whether these psychological interventions improve work ability (SMD -0.15 95% CI -0.46 to 0.57; 1 study; very low-certainty evidence). Psychological intervention combined with antidepressant medication Two studies compared the effect of a psychological intervention combined with antidepressants to antidepressants alone. One study combined psychodynamic therapy with tricyclic antidepressant (TCA) medication and another combined telephone-administered cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) with a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI). We are uncertain if this intervention reduces the number of sickness absence days (SMD -0.38, 95% CI -0.99 to 0.24; 2 studies, very low-certainty evidence) but found that there may be no effect on depressive symptoms (SMD -0.19, 95% CI -0.50 to 0.12; 2 studies, low-certainty evidence). Antidepressant medication only Three studies compared the effectiveness of SSRI to selective norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor (SNRI) medication on reducing sickness absence and yielded highly inconsistent results. Improved care Overall, interventions to improve care did not lead to fewer days of sickness absence, compared to care as usual (SMD -0.05, 95% CI -0.16 to 0.06; 7 studies, moderate-certainty evidence). However, in studies with a low risk of bias, the intervention probably leads to fewer days of sickness absence in the first year of follow-up (SMD -0.20, 95% CI -0.35 to -0.05; 2 studies; moderate-certainty evidence). Improved care probably leads to fewer depressive symptoms (SMD -0.21, 95% CI -0.35 to -0.07; 7 studies, moderate-certainty evidence) but may possibly lead to a decrease in work-functioning (SMD 0.5, 95% CI 0.34 to 0.66; 1 study; moderate-certainty evidence). Exercise Supervised strength exercise may reduce sickness absence, compared to relaxation (SMD -1.11; 95% CI -1.68 to -0.54; one study, low-certainty evidence). However, aerobic exercise probably is not more effective than relaxation or stretching (SMD -0.06; 95% CI -0.36 to 0.24; 2 studies, moderate-certainty evidence). Both studies found no differences between the two conditions in depressive symptoms.

AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS

A combination of a work-directed intervention and a clinical intervention probably reduces the number of sickness absence days, but at the end of one year or longer follow-up, this does not lead to more people in the intervention group being at work. The intervention may also reduce depressive symptoms and probably increases work functioning more than care as usual. Specific work-directed interventions may not be more effective than usual work-directed care alone. Psychological interventions may reduce the number of sickness absence days, compared with care as usual. Interventions to improve clinical care probably lead to lower sickness absence and lower levels of depression, compared with care as usual. There was no evidence of a difference in effect on sickness absence of one antidepressant medication compared to another. Further research is needed to assess which combination of work-directed and clinical interventions works best.

Cost of depression: effect of adherence and treatment response

Objectives:

The purpose of the present study has been to assess the societal cost of major depression and the distribution into different cost components. The impact of adherence and treatment response was also explored.

Method:

Data were collected from a randomized controlled trial of patients with major depressive disorder who were treated in a naturalistic primary care setting. Resource use and quality of life were followed during the two-year trial.

Results:

The mean total cost per patient during two years was KSEK 363 (EUR 38 953). Indirect costs were the most important component (87%), whereas the cost of drugs was minor (4.5%). No significant differences in costs or quality of life between treatment arms or between adherent and non-adherent patients were demonstrated. However, treatment responders had 39% lower total costs per patient and experienced a larger increase in quality of life compared to non-responders.

Conclusions:

Major depression has high costs for society, primarily due to indirect costs. Treatment responders have considerably lower costs per patient and higher quality of life than non-responders. This indicates that measures to increase response rates are also important from an economic perspective.

Effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of a multicomponent intervention to improve medication adherence in people with depressive disorders - MAPDep: a study protocol for a cluster randomized controlled trial

PURPOSE

Depression is a widespread mental disorder which can be treated effectively. However, low adherence to antidepressants is very common. The study of medication adherence in depression (MAPDep study) assesses the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of a multicomponent strategy to enhance adherence toward medications in patients with depression.

INTERVENTION

The intervention is a multicomponent one consisting of an educational program for psychiatrists and/or a collaborative care program for patients and relatives, plus a reminder system that works through the use of an already available high-quality medication reminder application.

STUDY DESIGN

MAPDep study is an open, multicenter, four-arm cluster randomized controlled trial. The clusters are mental health units where psychiatrists are invited to participate. The clusters are randomly allocated to one of the three interventions or to usual care (control arm). Patients (18-65 years of age) diagnosed with depressive disorder, those taking antidepressant medication for an existing diagnosis of depression, and mobile phone users are selected. In group 1, only patients and relatives receive intervention; in group 2, only psychiatrists receive intervention; and in group 3, patients/relatives and psychiatrists receive intervention. The primary outcome is adherence to the antidepressant drug. The calculated sample size is 400 patients. To examine changes across time, generalized linear mixed model with repeated measures will be used. A cost-effectiveness analysis will be conducted. The effectiveness measure is quality-adjusted life years. Deterministic sensitivity analyses are planned.

CONCLUSION

MAPDep study aims to assess a multicomponent strategy to improve adherence toward medications in patients with depression, based not only on clinical effectiveness but also on cost-effectiveness. This methodology will enhance the transferability of the expected results beyond mental health services (patients and psychiatrists) to health care policy decision making.

CLINICAL TRIAL IDENTIFIER

NCT03668457.

Efficacy of antidepressants on measures of workplace functioning in major depressive disorder: A systematic review

INTRODUCTION

Work-related disability and productivity loss in Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) are critical determinants of patient quality of life and contribute significantly to the human and economic costs of MDD. Notwithstanding the return to work and pre-morbid levels of functioning as a critical therapeutic objective among individuals with MDD, it is unclear whether antidepressant treatment significantly and reliably improves measures of workplace functioning. Herein, we investigate to what extent antidepressant treatment improves workplace functioning among adults with MDD.

METHODS

We conducted a systematic review of randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled or active comparator clinical trials primarily or secondarily investigating the efficacy of antidepressant agents on subjective ratings of workplace functioning and/or measures of work absence.

RESULTS

Thirteen placebo-controlled and four active comparator clinical trials reported on the efficacy of agomelatine, bupropion, desvenlafaxine, duloxetine, fluoxetine, levomilnacipran, paroxetine, sertraline, venlafaxine, or vortioxetine on subjective measures of workplace impairment. Overall, antidepressant treatment improved standardized measures of workplace functioning (e.g., Sheehan Disability Scale-work item). One placebo-controlled trial of agomelatine and one clinical trial comparing the efficacy of vortioxetine to that of venlafaxine had mixed results on measures of work absence.

LIMITATIONS

Included interventional trials evaluated work-related disability as a secondary outcome using subjective rating scales.

CONCLUSION

Extant data suggest that antidepressant treatment improves workplace outcomes in MDD. The capability of antidepressants in improving measures of workplace functioning should be considered in cost-benefit analyses to better inform cost-modelling studies pertaining to antidepressant therapy.

Computerized versus hand-scored health literacy tools: a comparison of Simple Measure of Gobbledygook (SMOG) and Flesch-Kincaid in printed patient education materials

Objective

The research compared and contrasted hand-scoring and computerized methods of evaluating the grade level of patient education materials that are distributed at an academic medical center in east Tennessee and sought to determine if these materials adhered to the American Medical Association’s (AMA’s) recommended reading level of sixth grade.

Methods

Librarians at an academic medical center located in the heart of Appalachian Tennessee initiated the assessment of 150 of the most used printed patient education materials. Based on the Flesch-Kincaid (F-K) scoring rubric, 2 of the 150 documents were excluded from statistical comparisons due to the absence of text (images only). Researchers assessed the remaining 148 documents using the hand-scored Simple Measure of Gobbledygook (SMOG) method and the computerized F-K grade level method. For SMOG, 3 independent reviewers hand-scored each of the 150 documents. For F-K, documents were analyzed using Microsoft Word. Reading grade levels scores were entered into a database for statistical analysis. Inter-rater reliability was calculated using intra-class correlation coefficients (ICC). Paired t-tests were used to compare readability means.

Results

Acceptable inter-rater reliability was found for SMOG (ICC=0.95). For the 148 documents assessed, SMOG produced a significantly higher mean reading grade level (M=9.6, SD=1.3) than F-K (M=6.5, SD=1.3; p<0.001). Additionally, when using the SMOG method of assessment, 147 of the 148 documents (99.3%) scored above the AMA’s recommended reading level of sixth grade.

Conclusions

Computerized health literacy assessment tools, used by many national patient education material providers, might not be representative of the actual reading grade levels of patient education materials. This is problematic in regions like Appalachia because materials may not be comprehensible to the area’s low-literacy patients. Medical librarians have the potential to advance their role in patient education to better serve their patient populations.

Smartphone Applications for Educating and Helping Non-motivating Patients Adhere to Medication That Treats Mental Health Conditions: Aims and Functioning

Background: Patients prescribed with medication that treats mental health conditions benefit the most compared to those prescribed with other types of medication. However, they are also the most difficult to adhere. The development of mobile health (mHealth) applications ("apps") to help patients monitor their adherence is fast growing but with limited evidence on their efficacy. There is no evidence on the content of these apps for patients taking psychotropic medication. The aim of this study is to identify and evaluate the aims and functioning of available apps that are aiming to help and educate patients to adhere to medication that treats mental health conditions. Method: Three platform descriptions (Apple, Google, and Microsoft) were searched between October 2015 and February 2016. Included apps need to focus on adherence to medication that treats mental health conditions and use at least a reinforcement strategy. Descriptive information was extracted and apps evaluated on a number of assessment criteria using content analysis. Results: Sixteen apps were identified. All apps included self-monitoring properties like reminders and psycho-educational properties like mood logs. It was unclear how the latter were used or how adherence was measured. Major barriers to medication adherence like patients' illness and medication beliefs and attitudes were not considered nor where information to patients about mediation side effects. Very few apps were tailored and none was developed based on established theories explaining the processes for successful medication adherence like cognitions and beliefs. Reported information on app development and validation was poor. Discussion: A variety of apps with different properties that tackle both intentional and unintentional non-adherence from a different perspective are identified. An evidence-based approach and co-creation with patients is needed. This will ensure that the apps increase the possibility to impact on non-adherence. Theories like social cognition models can be useful in ensuring that patients' education, motivation, skills, beliefs, and type of adherence are taken into consideration when developing the apps. Findings from this study can help clinicians and patients make informed choices and pursue policy-makers to integrate evidence when developing future apps. Quality-assurance tools are needed to ensure the apps are systematically evaluated.

Telemedicine to Promote Patient Safety: Use of Phone-Based Interactive Voice-Response System to Reduce Adverse Safety Events in Pre-dialysis CKD

CKD patients have several features conferring on them a high risk of adverse safety events, which are defined as incidents with unintended harm related to processes of care or medications. These characteristics include impaired kidney function, polypharmacy, and frequent health system encounters. The consequences of such events in CKD can include new or prolonged hospitalization, accelerated kidney function loss, acute kidney injury, ESRD, and death. Health information technology administered via telemedicine presents opportunities for CKD patients to remotely communicate safety-related findings to providers for the purpose of improving their care. However, many CKD patients have limitations that hinder their use of telemedicine and access to the broad capabilities of health information technology. In this review, we summarize previous assessments of the pre-dialysis CKD populations' proficiency in using telemedicine modalities and describe the use of interactive voice-response system to gauge the safety phenotype of the CKD patient. We discuss the potential for expanded interactive voice-response system use in CKD to address the safety threats inherent to this population.

The Effect of a Drug Adherence Enhancement Program on the Drug Adherence Behaviors of Patients With Major Depressive Disorder in Thailand: A Randomized Clinical Trial

This study aimed to compare drug adherence behaviors during the sixth week between patients with first diagnosed major depressive disorder who received the Drug Adherence Enhancement Program and those who received only the usual care. A randomized clinical trial, post-test only design was conducted in the outpatient-unit of a medical school hospital in Bangkok, Thailand. The experimental and control groups consisted of 30 and 26 participants respectively. Participants in the experimental group exhibited significantly higher drug adherence behaviors than the control group. This is important for nurses in promoting adherence to antidepressant drugs for patients with first diagnosed major depressive disorder.

Clinical features of olfactory reference syndrome: An internet-based study

OBJECTIVE

Preoccupation with perceived bodily odor has been described in neuropsychiatric disorders for more than a century; however, empirical research on olfactory reference syndrome (ORS) is scarce. This study investigated the phenomenology of ORS in a broadly ascertained, diverse sample.

METHOD

Data were obtained from 253 subjects in an internet-based survey that operated from January - March 2010. Measures included the Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale Modified for ORS (ORS-YBOCS), Work and Social Adjustment Scale (WSAS), Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS), and symptom specific questionnaires developed for this study.

RESULTS

Individuals reported, on average, moderately severe ORS symptoms. The average age of onset of ORS symptoms was 21.1 years, with 54% reporting a chronic, unremitting course. Individuals endorsed a lifetime average of two malodorous preoccupations, most commonly stool, garbage, and ammonia. Odors were most often reported to emanate from the armpits, feet, and breasts. Nearly all participants engaged in time-consuming rituals to try to hide or fix their perceived malodor (e.g., checking and camouflaging). Eighteen percent reported poor or delusional insight and 64.0% reported ideas or delusions of reference. More severe ORS symptoms were moderately associated with female gender, poorer insight, and higher levels of impairment (in work, social leisure, ability to maintain close relationships, and consecutive days housebound).

CONCLUSION

This is the largest study on ORS to date. Results underscore the clinical significance and psychosocial impact of this understudied disorder, and highlight the need for subsequent research to examine clinical features and inform treatment.

Neighborhood social environment and patterns of adherence to oral hypoglycemic agents among patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus

This study examined whether neighborhood social environment was related to patterns of adherence to oral hypoglycemic agents among primary care patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Residents in neighborhoods with high social affluence, high residential stability, and high neighborhood advantage, compared to residents in neighborhoods with one or no high features present, were significantly more likely to have an adherent pattern compared to a nonadherent pattern. Neighborhood social environment may influence patterns of adherence. Reliance on a multilevel contextual framework, extending beyond the individual, to promote diabetic self-management activities may be essential for notable public health improvements.

A brief adherence intervention that improved glycemic control: mediation by patterns of adherence

This study examined whether longitudinal adherence profiles mediated the relationship between a brief adherence intervention and glycemic control among patients with type 2 diabetes. Adherence was assessed using the Medication Event Monitoring System. Longitudinal analysis via growth curve mixture modeling was carried out to classify patients according to patterns of adherence to oral hypoglycemic agents. Hemoglobin A1c assays were used to measure glycemic control as the clinical outcome. Across the whole sample, longitudinal adherence profiles mediated 35.2% (13.2, 81.0%) of the effect of a brief adherence intervention on glycemic control [from odds ratio (OR) = 8.48, 95% confidence interval (CI) (3.24, 22.2) to 4.00, 95% CI (1.34, 11.93)]. Our results suggest that patients in the intervention had better glycemic control largely due to their greater likelihood of adherence to oral hypoglycemic agents.

The low level of understanding of depression among patients treated with antidepressants: a survey of 424 outpatients in Japan

BACKGROUND

We used self-administered questionnaires to investigate the level of understanding of depression among outpatients who were administered antidepressants.

METHODS

A total of 424 outpatients were enrolled in this study. We used an original self-administered questionnaire that consisted of eight categories: (A) depressive symptoms, (B) the course of depression, (C) the cause of depression, (D) the treatment plan, (E) the duration of taking antidepressants, (F) how to discontinue antidepressants, (G) the side effects of the antidepressants, and (H) psychotherapy. Each category consisted of the following two questions: "Have you received an explanation from the doctor in charge?" and "How much do you understand about it?" The level of understanding was rated on a scale of 0-10 (11 anchor points). The Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology Japanese version, Global Assessment of Functioning, and Clinical Global Impression - Severity scale were administered, and clinical characteristics were investigated.

RESULTS

The percentages of participants who received explanations were as follows: 61.8% for (A), 49.2% for (B), 50.8% for (C), 57.2% for (D), 46.3% for (E), 28.5% for (F), 50.6% for (G), and 36.1% for (H). The level of understanding in participants who received explanations from their physicians was significantly higher compared with patients who did not receive explanations for all evaluated categories. Patient age, age at disease onset, and Global Assessment of Functioning scores were significantly associated with more items compared with the other variables.

CONCLUSION

Psychoeducation is not sufficiently performed. According to the study results, it is possible for patients to receive better psychoeducation and improve their clinical outcomes.

Interventions to improve return to work in depressed people

BACKGROUND

Work disability such as sickness absence is common in people with depression.

OBJECTIVES

To evaluate the effectiveness of interventions aimed at reducing work disability in employees with depressive disorders.

SEARCH METHODS

We searched CENTRAL (The Cochrane Library), MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, and PsycINFO until January 2014.

SELECTION CRITERIA

We included randomised controlled trials (RCTs) and cluster RCTs of work-directed and clinical interventions for depressed people that included sickness absence as an outcome.

DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS

Two authors independently extracted the data and assessed trial quality. We used standardised mean differences (SMDs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) to pool study results in the studies we judged to be sufficiently similar. We used GRADE to rate the quality of the evidence.

MAIN RESULTS

We included 23 studies with 26 study arms, involving 5996 participants with either a major depressive disorder or a high level of depressive symptoms. We judged 14 studies to have a high risk of bias and nine to have a low risk of bias. Work-directed interventions We identified five work-directed interventions. There was moderate quality evidence that a work-directed intervention added to a clinical intervention reduced sickness absence (SMD -0.40; 95% CI -0.66 to -0.14; 3 studies) compared to a clinical intervention alone.There was moderate quality evidence based on a single study that enhancing the clinical care in addition to regular work-directed care was not more effective than work-directed care alone (SMD -0.14; 95% CI -0.49 to 0.21).There was very low quality evidence based on one study that regular care by occupational physicians that was enhanced with an exposure-based return to work program did not reduce sickness absence compared to regular care by occupational physicians (non-significant finding: SMD 0.45; 95% CI -0.00 to 0.91). Clinical interventions, antidepressant medication Three studies compared the effectiveness of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) to selective norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor (SNRI) medication on reducing sickness absence and yielded highly inconsistent results. Clinical interventions, psychological We found moderate quality evidence based on three studies that telephone or online cognitive behavioural therapy was more effective in reducing sick leave than usual primary or occupational care (SMD -0.23; 95% CI -0.45 to -0.01). Clinical interventions, psychological combined with antidepressant medication We found low quality evidence based on two studies that enhanced primary care did not substantially decrease sickness absence in the medium term (4 to 12 months) (SMD -0.02; 95% CI -0.15 to 0.12). A third study found no substantial effect on sickness absence in favour of this intervention in the long term (24 months).We found high quality evidence, based on one study, that a structured telephone outreach and care management program was more effective in reducing sickness absence than usual care (SMD - 0.21; 95% CI -0.37 to -0.05). Clinical interventions, exercise We found low quality evidence based on one study that supervised strength exercise reduced sickness absence compared to relaxation (SMD -1.11; 95% CI -1.68 to -0.54). We found moderate quality evidence based on two studies that aerobic exercise was no more effective in reducing sickness absence than relaxation or stretching (SMD -0.06; 95% CI -0.36 to 0.24).

AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS

We found moderate quality evidence that adding a work-directed intervention to a clinical intervention reduced the number of days on sick leave compared to a clinical intervention alone. We also found moderate quality evidence that enhancing primary or occupational care with cognitive behavioural therapy reduced sick leave compared to the usual care. A structured telephone outreach and care management program that included medication reduced sickness absence compared to usual care. However, enhancing primary care with a quality improvement program did not have a considerable effect on sickness absence. There was no evidence of a difference in effect on sickness absence of one antidepressant medication compared to another. More studies are needed on work-directed interventions. Clinical intervention studies should also include work outcomes to increase our knowledge on reducing sickness absence in depressed workers.

Interventions for enhancing medication adherence

BACKGROUND

People who are prescribed self administered medications typically take only about half their prescribed doses. Efforts to assist patients with adherence to medications might improve the benefits of prescribed medications.

OBJECTIVES

The primary objective of this review is to assess the effects of interventions intended to enhance patient adherence to prescribed medications for medical conditions, on both medication adherence and clinical outcomes.

SEARCH METHODS

We updated searches of The Cochrane Library, including CENTRAL (via http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/cochranelibrary/search/), MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO (all via Ovid), CINAHL (via EBSCO), and Sociological Abstracts (via ProQuest) on 11 January 2013 with no language restriction. We also reviewed bibliographies in articles on patient adherence, and contacted authors of relevant original and review articles.

SELECTION CRITERIA

We included unconfounded RCTs of interventions to improve adherence with prescribed medications, measuring both medication adherence and clinical outcome, with at least 80% follow-up of each group studied and, for long-term treatments, at least six months follow-up for studies with positive findings at earlier time points.

DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS

Two review authors independently extracted all data and a third author resolved disagreements. The studies differed widely according to medical condition, patient population, intervention, measures of adherence, and clinical outcomes. Pooling results according to one of these characteristics still leaves highly heterogeneous groups, and we could not justify meta-analysis. Instead, we conducted a qualitative analysis with a focus on the RCTs with the lowest risk of bias for study design and the primary clinical outcome.

MAIN RESULTS

The present update included 109 new RCTs published since the previous update in January 2007, bringing the total number of RCTs to 182; we found five RCTs from the previous update to be ineligible and excluded them. Studies were heterogeneous for patients, medical problems, treatment regimens, adherence interventions, and adherence and clinical outcome measurements, and most had high risk of bias. The main changes in comparison with the previous update include that we now: 1) report a lack of convincing evidence also specifically among the studies with the lowest risk of bias; 2) do not try to classify studies according to intervention type any more, due to the large heterogeneity; 3) make our database available for collaboration on sub-analyses, in acknowledgement of the need to make collective advancement in this difficult field of research. Of all 182 RCTs, 17 had the lowest risk of bias for study design features and their primary clinical outcome, 11 from the present update and six from the previous update. The RCTs at lowest risk of bias generally involved complex interventions with multiple components, trying to overcome barriers to adherence by means of tailored ongoing support from allied health professionals such as pharmacists, who often delivered intense education, counseling (including motivational interviewing or cognitive behavioral therapy by professionals) or daily treatment support (or both), and sometimes additional support from family or peers. Only five of these RCTs reported improvements in both adherence and clinical outcomes, and no common intervention characteristics were apparent. Even the most effective interventions did not lead to large improvements in adherence or clinical outcomes.

AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS

Across the body of evidence, effects were inconsistent from study to study, and only a minority of lowest risk of bias RCTs improved both adherence and clinical outcomes. Current methods of improving medication adherence for chronic health problems are mostly complex and not very effective, so that the full benefits of treatment cannot be realized. The research in this field needs advances, including improved design of feasible long-term interventions, objective adherence measures, and sufficient study power to detect improvements in patient-important clinical outcomes. By making our comprehensive database available for sharing we hope to contribute to achieving these advances.

Antidepressant-related adverse effects impacting treatment compliance: Results of a patient survey

BACKGROUND

Despite the high prevalence of depression in the United States, 10 few studies have identified which adverse effects (AEs) patients are willing or unwilling to tolerate when receiving antidepressants.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to identify reasons for discontinuation10 and noncompliance with antidepressant medications, the impact of AEs on compliance and quality of life (assessed using impact of AEs on activities of daily living), and patients' suggestions for improving their medication, using a patient survey.

METHODS

Patients aged 18 to 65 years with mild to severe depression were 10 randomly selected by their physicians to be sent an invitation to complete the 42-question survey. Three hundred physicians nationwide assessed the severity of depression and symptoms of anxiety in each respondent, using their judgment. Patients were asked specific questions to assess reasons for discontinuation/noncompliance. Patients were also asked to rate AEs based on how difficult they were to "live with," and what 2 aspects of their antidepressant medication they would change if they could.

RESULTS

In a separate, concurrent study, physicians classified 175 (50%) abdResults:0 mildly to moderately depressed and 84 (24%) as severely depressed. Ninety-one respondents (26%) were classified as having symptoms of anxiety. Two hundred seven patients (60%) indicated they had discontinued treatment with an antidepressant agent at some point in their lives, the most common reason for which was lack of efficacy (92 patients [44%]). Of the 344 patients currently being treated with an antidepressant, 75 (22%) reported noncompliance. The most common reasons for noncompliance were "have trouble remembering to take it" (19/44 patients [43%]), "gained a lot of weight" (11/41 [27%]), "unable to have an orgasm" (8/40 [20%]), and "lost interest in sex" (8/41 [20%]). The 4 AEs patients expressed as "extremely difficult to live with" were "weight gain" (104 patients [31%]), "unable to have erection" (83 [25%]), "difficulty reaching orgasm" (80 [24%]), and "tired during the day/no energy" (69 patients [21%]). The 3 most frequently cited improvements patients (n = 327) would make to their medications were better efficacy (176 patients [54%]) and eliminating AEs related to sexual desire and weight gain (112 [34%] and 105 [32%] patients, respectively).

CONCLUSIONS

The findings of this survey of patients with mild to severe10 depression suggest that compliance, and hence efficacy, can be promoted by (1) understanding what patients expect and desire from the antidepressants they are prescribed and (2) prescribing antidepressants associated with low rates of weight gain, sexual dysfunction, or tiredness.

Interactive voice response technology for symptom monitoring and as an adjunct to the treatment of chronic pain

Chronic pain is a medical condition that severely decreases the quality of life for those who struggle to cope with it. Interactive voice response (IVR) technology has the ability to track symptoms and disease progression, to investigate the relationships between symptom patterns and clinical outcomes, to assess the efficacy of ongoing treatments, and to directly serve as an adjunct to therapeutic treatment for chronic pain. While many approaches exist toward the management of chronic pain, all have their pitfalls and none work universally. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is one approach that has been shown to be fairly effective, and therapeutic interactive voice response technology provides a convenient and easy-to-use means of extending the therapeutic gains of CBT long after patients have discontinued clinical visitations. This review summarizes the advantages and disadvantages of IVR technology, provides evidence for the efficacy of the method in monitoring and managing chronic pain, and addresses potential future directions that the technology may take as a therapeutic intervention in its own right.

The phenomenology of self-reported body dysmorphic disorder by proxy

Body dysmorphic disorder by proxy (BDDBP), a preoccupation with a perceived defect in another person's appearance may represent a variant of BDD. However, BDDBP has received little empirical attention. We present here the phenomenology of 11 individuals with self-reported BDDBP. Participants completed an internet-based survey that assessed symptoms, psychosocial impact, and treatment history. Participants (8 females, 3 males) reported preoccupation with a wide array of individuals (e.g., spouse, stranger). Body parts of concern most commonly involved the face and head. Most participants spent several (e.g., 3-8) hours per day preoccupied by perceived defects in the person of concern (POC). All participants engaged in rituals to try to alleviate distress or improve the POC's appearance. Most avoided social/occupational activities, including contact with the POC. The impact of BDDBP was profound, particularly on relationships. Findings may help elucidate diagnostic criteria, course, and treatment.

Think Effectively About Mood Swings (TEAMS): a case series of cognitive-behavioural therapy for bipolar disorders

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

An integrative cognitive model for bipolar disorder proposes that multiple and extreme appraisals of changes in internal state and their reciprocal impact on behaviour, physiology and the environment provide the core mechanism in maintaining and escalating bipolar symptoms (Mansell, Morrison, Reid, Lowens, & Tai, 2007a).

METHODS

A case series of cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) based on this model, known as the TEAMS approach (Think Effectively About Mood Swings), with seven participants was conducted. An A-B direct replication design with multiple baseline and follow-up assessments at one, three and six months was used. Treatment involved 12 sessions of CBT with an emphasis on addressing extreme positive and negative appraisals of internal state change.

RESULTS

Improvements were reported for symptoms, functioning, cognitions and self-critical processes with large effect sizes on a range of measures, especially depression, at end of therapy and one-month follow-up. Five participants also showed clinically significant change in depression at both time-points.

CONCLUSIONS

This study provides preliminary evidence for the feasibility, acceptability and efficacy of CBT based on this model which warrants further evaluation.

Integrated management of type 2 diabetes mellitus and depression treatment to improve medication adherence: a randomized controlled trial

PURPOSE

Depression commonly accompanies diabetes, resulting in reduced adherence to medications and increased risk for morbidity and mortality. The objective of this study was to examine whether a simple, brief integrated approach to depression and type 2 diabetes mellitus (type 2 diabetes) treatment improved adherence to oral hypoglycemic agents and antidepressant medications, glycemic control, and depression among primary care patients.

METHODS

We undertook a randomized controlled trial conducted from April 2010 through April 2011 of 180 patients prescribed pharmacotherapy for type 2 diabetes and depression in primary care. Patients were randomly assigned to an integrated care intervention or usual care. Integrated care managers collaborated with physicians to offer education and guideline-based treatment recommendations and to monitor adherence and clinical status. Adherence was assessed using the Medication Event Monitoring System (MEMS). We used glycated hemoglobin (HbA(1c)) assays to measure glycemic control and the 9-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) to assess depression.

RESULTS

Intervention and usual care groups did not differ statistically on baseline measures. Patients who received the intervention were more likely to achieve HbA(1c) levels of less than 7% (intervention 60.9% vs. usual care 35.7%; P < .001) and remission of depression (PHQ-9 score of less than 5: intervention 58.7% vs. usual care 30.7%; P < .001) in comparison with patients in the usual care group at 12 weeks.

CONCLUSIONS

A randomized controlled trial of a simple, brief intervention integrating treatment of type 2 diabetes and depression was successful in improving outcomes in primary care. An integrated approach to depression and type 2 diabetes treatment may facilitate its deployment in real-world practices with competing demands for limited resources.

Improving adherence to sertraline treatment: the effectiveness of a patient education intervention

BACKGROUND

Previous attempts to improve anti-depressant adherence have achieved mixed results. The current study evaluated the effectiveness of a patient education intervention designed to increase adherence to sertraline treatment.

METHOD

Data from a national pharmacy claims database were used to retrospectively match (along key demographic and clinical variables) consecutive patients prescribed sertraline (N = 1462) who received an educational intervention (Knowing More) between May 1, 2003, and April 30, 2004, with a control group of concurrent sertraline-treated patients who did not receive the intervention (N = 1462). The intervention consisted of 10 newsletters distributed over a 9-month period by mail and e-mail. The intervention and control groups were compared over a 7-month follow-up period on 3 adherence measures: time to discontinuation, days on therapy, and percentage of days on therapy.

RESULTS

Cox regression analysis revealed that the time to discontinuation of sertraline (median = 100 days) was significantly greater (p < .0001) for the intervention group compared with the control group (median = 60 days). By the end of the follow-up period, 27% of patients remained on therapy with Knowing More versus 15% of those not enrolled in the compliance program. The mean number of days on therapy was 24.8 days (25.5%) longer for the intervention group compared with the control group (122.5 days for the intervention group versus 97.7 days for the control group). The percentage of days on therapy was 88.2% for the intervention group versus 77.7% for the control group among patients with at least 1 refill prescription (p < .001).

CONCLUSION

The educational compliance intervention, Knowing More, was associated with a significant increase in adherence to antidepressant treatment.

Effectiveness of interventions to improve antidepressant medication adherence: a systematic review

Non-adherence to antidepressant medications is a significant barrier to the successful treatment of depression in clinical practice. This review aims to systematically assess the effectiveness of interventions for improving antidepressant medication adherence among patients with unipolar depression, and to evaluate the effect of these interventions on depression clinical outcomes. MEDLINE, PsycINFO and EMBASE databases were searched for English-language randomised controlled trials published between January 1990 and December 2010 on interventions to improve antidepressant adherence. The impact of interventions on antidepressant medication adherence (compliance and persistence) and depression clinical outcomes was evaluated. Data concerning the quality of the included studies were also extracted. Twenty-six studies met the inclusion criteria. Interventions were classified as educational, behavioural and multifaceted interventions. A total of 28 interventions were tested, as two studies investigated two interventions each. Sixteen (57%) of the 28 interventions showed significant effects on antidepressant adherence outcomes, whereas 12 (43%) interventions demonstrated significant effects on both antidepressant adherence and depression outcomes. The interventions which showed significant improvement in outcomes were primarily multifaceted and complex, with proactive care management and involvement of mental health specialists. The most commonly used elements of multifaceted interventions included patient educational strategies, telephone follow-up to monitor patients' progress, as well as providing medication support and feedback to primary care providers. Overall, educational interventions alone were ineffective in improving antidepressant medication adherence. In conclusion, improving adherence to antidepressants requires a complex behavioural change and there is some evidence to support behavioural and multifaceted interventions as the most effective in improving antidepressant medication adherence and depression outcomes. More carefully designed and well-conducted studies are needed to clarify the effect of interventions in different patient populations and treatment settings.

Automated symptom alerts reduce postoperative symptom severity after cancer surgery: a randomized controlled clinical trial

PURPOSE

Patients receiving cancer-related thoracotomy are highly symptomatic in the first weeks after surgery. This study examined whether at-home symptom monitoring plus feedback to clinicians about severe symptoms contributes to more effective postoperative symptom control.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

We enrolled 100 patients receiving thoracotomy for lung cancer or lung metastasis in a two-arm randomized controlled trial; 79 patients completed the study. After hospital discharge, patients rated symptoms twice weekly for 4 weeks via automated telephone calls. For intervention group patients, an e-mail alert was forwarded to the patient's clinical team for response if any of a subset of symptoms (pain, disturbed sleep, distress, shortness of breath, or constipation) reached a predetermined severity threshold. No alerts were generated for controls. Group differences in symptom threshold events were examined by generalized estimating equation modeling.

RESULTS

The intervention group experienced greater reduction in symptom threshold events than did controls (19% v 8%, respectively) and a more rapid decline in symptom threshold events. The difference in average reduction in symptom interference between groups was -0.36 (SE, 0.078; P = .02). Clinicians responded to 84% of e-mail alerts. Both groups reported equally high satisfaction with the automated system and with postoperative symptom control.

CONCLUSION

Frequent symptom monitoring with alerts to clinicians when symptoms became moderate or severe reduced symptom severity during the 4 weeks after thoracic surgery. Methods of automated symptom monitoring and triage may improve symptom control after major cancer surgery. These results should be confirmed in a larger study.

Integrating type 2 diabetes mellitus and depression treatment among African Americans: a randomized controlled pilot trial

PURPOSE

The purpose of this study was to examine whether integrating depression treatment into care for type 2 diabetes mellitus among older African Americans improved medication adherence, glycemic control, and depression outcomes.

METHODS

Older African Americans prescribed pharmacotherapy for type 2 diabetes mellitus and depression from physicians at a large primary care practice in west Philadelphia were randomly assigned to an integrated care intervention or usual care. Adherence was assessed at baseline, 2, 4, and 6 weeks using the Medication Event Monitoring System to assess adherence. Outcomes assessed at baseline and 12 weeks included standard laboratory tests to measure glycemic control and the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) to assess depression.

RESULTS

In all, 58 participants aged 50 to 80 years participated. The proportion of participants who had 80% or greater adherence to an oral hypoglycemic (intervention 62.1% vs usual care 24.1%) and an antidepressant (intervention 62.1% vs usual care 10.3%) was greater in the intervention group in comparison with the usual care group at 6 weeks. Participants in the integrated care intervention had lower levels of glycosylated hemoglobin (intervention 6.7% vs usual care 7.9%) and fewer depressive symptoms (CES-D mean scores: intervention 9.6 vs usual care 16.6) compared with participants in the usual care group at 12 weeks.

CONCLUSION

A pilot randomized controlled trial integrating type 2 diabetes mellitus treatment and depression was successful in improving outcomes among older African Americans. Integrated interventions may be more feasible and effective in real-world practices with competing demands for limited resources.

[Major depression in primary care and clinical impacts of treatment strategies: a literature review]

Major or clinical depression represents a frequent mental illness that is often associated with a high level of morbidity and mortality. Yet, major depression remains under-diagnosed and under-treated. On the level of treatment, it would appear desirable for reasons of better prognosis, to aim more than the simple reduction of depressive symptoms and target their remission resolutely and the fastest return to the individual's optimal functioning. This article presents a systematic review of the literature relating to the clinical impacts of treatment strategies aiming at the improvement of services offered to people who suffer of clinical depression and who consult in primary care. The authors summarize results drawn from 41 studies that include a measurement of the clinical impacts (reduction of symptoms, response, remission and functioning) of various treatment strategies. It appears that using complex treatment strategies favour positive outcomes. The authors propose various paths of research to further increase current knowledge.

Written information about individual medicines for consumers

BACKGROUND

Medicines are the most common intervention in most health services. As with all treatments, those taking medicines need sufficient information: to enable them to take and use the medicines effectively, to understand the potential harms and benefits, and to allow them to make an informed decision about taking them. Written medicines information, such as a leaflet or provided via the Internet, is an intervention that may meet these purposes.

OBJECTIVES

To assess the effects of providing written information about individual medicines on relevant patient outcomes (knowledge, attitudes, behaviours and health outcomes) in relation to prescribed and over-the-counter medicines.

SEARCH STRATEGY

We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, The Cochrane Library, PsycINFO and other databases to March 2007. We handsearched five journals' tables of contents, and the reference lists of included studies, and contacted experts in the field.

SELECTION CRITERIA

Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) of medicine users, comparing written medicines information with no written medicines information; or trials that compared two or more styles of written medicines information. We only included trials that measured a knowledge, attitudinal or behavioural outcome. There were no language restrictions.

DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS

Two review authors independently extracted data relating to the interventions, methods of the trials, and outcome measures; and reconciled differences by discussion. Heterogeneity of interventions and outcomes measured meant that data synthesis was not possible. The results are presented in narrative and tabular format.

MAIN RESULTS

We included 25 RCTs involving 4788 participants. Six of twelve trials showed that written information significantly improved knowledge about a medicine, compared with no written information. The inability to combine results means we cannot conclude whether written information was effective for increasing knowledge. The results for attitudinal and behavioural outcomes were mixed. No studies showed an adverse effect of medicines information.

AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS

The combined evidence was not strong enough to say whether written medicines information is effective in changing knowledge, attitudes and behaviours related to medicine taking. There is some evidence that written information can improve knowledge. The trials were generally of poor quality, which reduces confidence in the results. Trials examining the effects of written information need to be better designed and use consistent and validated outcome measures. Trials should evaluate internet-based medicines information. It is imperative that written medicines information be based on best practice for its information design and content, which could improve its effectiveness in helping people to use medicines appropriately.

Benefits of consumer psychoeducation: a pilot program in South Africa

OBJECTIVE

Previous studies have indicated that patient adherence to antidepressant treatment is unsatisfactory. There is, however, little published data on adherence in the South African context. In this pilot study we explore the possible benefits of a consumer psychoeducation program.

METHOD

First, drop-out rates during the first four months of paroxetine treatment were surveyed in patients participating in a psychoeducational program focused on depression and its treatment. Practitioners were also surveyed about their perceptions of the program. Second, drop-out rates during the first four months of paroxetine treatment were estimated from a pharmacy database of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) prescriptions in South Africa.

RESULTS

Patients who participated in a psychoeducational program demonstrated comparatively lower drop-out rates during treatment compared with drop-out rates in patients on paroxetine (and other SSRIs) obtained from a national pharmacy database. Improved adherence on the psychoeducational program was attributed to an increased understanding of depression and the need to take medication, a realization that patients are not alone (i.e., depression is a widespread problem) and a better understanding and acceptance of the possible side-effects of medication. Both practitioners and patients were positive about their experience of the program and 80% of doctors judged the program to be very useful.

CONCLUSION

Drop-out rates during SSRI treatment in South Africa appear to be unacceptably high, whether or not patients receive concomitant benzodiazepines. Psychoeducational programs may prove valuable in increasing adherence to treatment regimes.

Consistency of antidepressant and chronic nonpsychiatric medication use in a high-risk clinical population

BACKGROUND

Antidepressant nonadherence is a significant threat to clinical outcomes and can be divided into 2 primary domains, persistence and consistency. Although antidepressant persistence has been well described, little is known about consistency patterns.

OBJECTIVES

The primary objective of this study was to characterize consistency among persistent antidepressant users. Patients with depression may also exhibit poor adherence to medications for chronic comorbid conditions. Thus, a second objective was to compare their consistency with chronic, nonpsychiatric medications with that of nonantidepressant users.

METHODS

Continuously eligible adult patients were selected from the Iowa Medicaid Pharmaceutical Case Management program based on receiving an antidepressant or a selected chronic nonpsychiatric medication for at least the first 4 months after program enrollment. Consistency over the first year of enrollment was determined from prescription refill patterns, using the MED-OUT index.

RESULTS

The mean consistency rate was 86% among the 1122 persistent antidepressant users. Consistency was not significantly different among polyantidepressant users or across the antidepressant classes. Among antidepressant users, consistency with antidepressants was not significantly different from consistency with chronic nonpsychiatric medications. Antidepressant users were not significantly less consistent with chronic nonpsychiatric medications than nonantidepressant users, after controlling for the confounding factors of age, sex, and total number of medications.

CONCLUSIONS

Consistency with medications in this population of persistent antidepressant users with medical illnesses was fairly good, and comparable to that of nonantidepressant users. The unique population may have influenced consistency rates. Focusing on persistent antidepressant users may have limited the expected impact of depression on medication consistency.

Integration of depression and hypertension treatment: a pilot, randomized controlled trial

PURPOSE

We wanted to examine whether integrating depression treatment into care for hypertension improved adherence to antidepressant and antihypertensive medications, depression outcomes, and blood pressure control among older primary care patients.

METHODS

Older adults prescribed pharmacotherapy for depression and hypertension from physicians at a large primary care practice in West Philadelphia were randomly assigned to an integrated care intervention or usual care. Outcomes were assessed at baseline, 2, 4, and 6 weeks using the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) to assess depression, an electronic monitor to measure blood pressure, and the Medication Event Monitoring System to assess adherence.

RESULTS

In all, 64 participants aged 50 to 80 years participated. Participants in the integrated care intervention had fewer depressive symptoms (CES-D mean scores, intervention 9.9 vs usual care 19.3; P <.01), lower systolic blood pressure (intervention 127.3 mm Hg vs usual care 141.3 mm Hg; P <.01), and lower diastolic blood pressure (intervention 75.8 mm Hg vs usual care 85.0 mm Hg; P <.01) compared with participants in the usual care group at 6 weeks. Compared with the usual care group, the proportion of participants in the intervention group who had 80% or greater adherence to an antidepressant medication (intervention 71.9% vs usual care 31.3%; P <.01) and to an antihypertensive medication (intervention 78.1% vs usual care 31.3%; P <.001) was greater at 6 weeks.

CONCLUSION

A pilot, randomized controlled trial integrating depression and hypertension treatment was successful in improving patient outcomes. Integrated interventions may be more feasible and effective in real-world practices, where there are competing demands for limited resources.

Interventions for enhancing medication adherence

BACKGROUND

People who are prescribed self-administered medications typically take less than half the prescribed doses. Efforts to assist patients with adherence to medications might improve the benefits of prescribed medications, but also might increase their adverse effects.

OBJECTIVES

To update a review summarizing the results of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of interventions to help patients follow prescriptions for medications for medical problems, including mental disorders but not addictions.

SEARCH STRATEGY

We updated searches of The Cochrane Library, MEDLINE, CINAHL, EMBASE, International Pharmaceutical Abstracts (IPA), PsycINFO (all via OVID) and Sociological Abstracts (via CSA) in January 2007 with no language restriction. We also reviewed bibliographies in articles on patient adherence and articles in our personal collections, and contacted authors of relevant original and review articles.

SELECTION CRITERIA

Articles were selected if they reported an unconfounded RCT of an intervention to improve adherence with prescribed medications, measuring both medication adherence and treatment outcome, with at least 80% follow-up of each group studied and, for long-term treatments, at least six months follow-up for studies with positive initial findings.

DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS

Study design features, interventions and controls, and results were extracted by one review author and confirmed by at least one other review author. We extracted adherence rates and their measures of variance for all methods of measuring adherence in each study, and all outcome rates and their measures of variance for each study group, as well as levels of statistical significance for differences between study groups, consulting authors and verifying or correcting analyses as needed. The studies differed widely according to medical condition, patient population, intervention, measures of adherence, and clinical outcomes. Therefore, we did not feel that quantitative analysis was scientifically justified; rather, we conducted a qualitative analysis.

MAIN RESULTS

For short-term treatments, four of ten interventions reported in nine RCTs showed an effect on both adherence and at least one clinical outcome, while one intervention reported in one RCT significantly improved patient adherence, but did not enhance the clinical outcome. For long-term treatments, 36 of 81 interventions reported in 69 RCTs were associated with improvements in adherence, but only 25 interventions led to improvement in at least one treatment outcome. Almost all of the interventions that were effective for long-term care were complex, including combinations of more convenient care, information, reminders, self-monitoring, reinforcement, counseling, family therapy, psychological therapy, crisis intervention, manual telephone follow-up, and supportive care. Even the most effective interventions did not lead to large improvements in adherence and treatment outcomes.

AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS

For short-term treatments several quite simple interventions increased adherence and improved patient outcomes, but the effects were inconsistent from study to study with less than half of studies showing benefits. Current methods of improving adherence for chronic health problems are mostly complex and not very effective, so that the full benefits of treatment cannot be realized. High priority should be given to fundamental and applied research concerning innovations to assist patients to follow medication prescriptions for long-term medical disorders.

Identification of primary care patients at risk of nonadherence to antidepressant treatment

INTRODUCTION

Poor adherence to antidepressant treatment is common, and results in increased disability and costs. Several factors are thought to influence patients' ability and willingness to adhere. So far, however, consensus is lacking regarding patient characteristics that predict nonadherence. The purpose of this study was to identify predictors of nonadherence to antidepressant treatment that can be ascertained at treatment start.

METHOD

The present study used data from a randomized controlled trial with the main objective of studying the effect of two different compliance-enhancing programs on treatment adherence and treatment response in 1031 primary care patients with major depression. In this study, logistic regression analyses were performed to examine patient- and illness-related characteristics potentially associated with nonadherence.

RESULTS

Nonadherence to antidepressant treatment was predicted by age under 35 or over 64 years, presence of personality disorder, sensation-seeking personality traits, substance abuse, and absence of concomitant medications.

CONCLUSION

Certain patient- and illness-related characteristics may imply an increased risk of nonadherence to antidepressant treatment. Giving special attention to subjects with such characteristics may improve adherence.

Comparative randomised trial of online cognitive-behavioural therapy and an information website for depression: 12-month outcomes

BACKGROUND

An earlier paper reported positive outcomes immediately following access to a cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) internet intervention and a depression information website.

AIMS

To determine 6-month and 12-month outcomes of the interventions relative to a placebo control condition.

METHOD

Participants allocated to the depression information website condition, the CBT internet intervention and the placebo control condition were followed up at 6 and 12 months by survey. The primary outcome measure was the Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression (CES-D) scale. Of 525 participants recruited, 79% completed their assigned intervention and 60% were retained at 12-month follow-up. Attrition was handled using mixed-model repeated-measures ANOVA.

RESULTS

Both the CBT site and depression information sites were associated with statistically significant benefits in CES-D score reduction compared with controls at post-test. At 6-months follow-up, the reduction seen for the people allocated to the CBT arm remained significant, whereas that for the depression information website arm was not. At 12 months, both active interventions were statistically significantly superior to the control condition.

CONCLUSIONS

There is some evidence that benefits of these brief internet interventions are retained beyond their endpoint. The impact of human support provided by interviewers in the trial must be considered when comparing these outcomes to routine use of both internet interventions.

Lessons and pitfalls of interactive voice response in medical research

Interactive voice response (IVR) technology is a robust method of data collection that has been underutilized in behavioral medicine and clinical pharmacotherapy research. While it is clear that there is an increasing interest in this technology, published research in the medical field has not described its implementation with sufficient detail to evaluate or replicate the use of interactive voice response systems (IVRS) as part of the methodology. In this article, we hope to shed more light on IVRS as an electronic data capture tool in clinical and behavioral research. We will describe how the IVRS work, the advantages and pitfalls of IVRS, and some of the lessons we have learned from administering a number of clinical studies using IVRS. Readers will gain a better understanding of this technology, which will enable them to optimize its usage in clinical research.

Data equivalency of an interactive voice response system for home assessment of back pain and function

BACKGROUND

Interactive voice response (IVR) systems that collect survey data using automated, push-button telephone responses may be useful to monitor patients' pain and function at home; however, its equivalency to other data collection methods has not been studied.

OBJECTIVES

To study the data equivalency of IVR measurement of pain and function to live telephone interviewing.

METHODS

In a prospective cohort study, 547 working adults (66% male) with acute back pain were recruited at an initial outpatient visit and completed telephone assessments one month later to track outcomes of pain, function, treatment helpfulness and return to work. An IVR system was introduced partway through the study (after the first 227 participants) to reduce the staff time necessary to contact participants by telephone during nonworking hours.

RESULTS

Of 368 participants who were subsequently recruited and offered the IVR option, 131 (36%) used IVR, 189 (51%) were contacted by a telephone interviewer after no IVR attempt was made within five days, and 48 (13%) were lost to follow-up. Those with lower income were more likely to use IVR. Analysis of outcome measures showed that IVR respondents reported comparatively lower levels of function and less effective treatment, but not after controlling for differences due to the delay in reaching non-IVR users by telephone (mean: 35.4 versus 29.2 days).

CONCLUSIONS

The results provided no evidence of information or selection bias associated with IVR use; however, IVR must be supplemented with other data collection options to maintain high response rates.

The impact of patient participation on adherence and clinical outcome in primary care of depression

OBJECTIVE

Patient participation in shared treatment decision-making is hypothesized to improve depression treatment adherence and clinical outcomes in depressed patients. The study aim was to evaluate the impact of patient participation on these factors and to determine the variance of clinical outcome as the primary outcome variable.

METHODS

A survey was administered to 30 general practitioners and 207 depressed patients, at initial consultation and 6-8 weeks later. General practitioners documented their clinical practice and patients completed questionnaires including Brief-PHQ for depression and clinical outcome, patient participation scale, and visual analogue scales for treatment adherence. Assessment of correlations was followed by the development of a structural equation model (as a latent variable analysis) to define a model to explain the entire set of the variables' relationships.

RESULTS

Sixty percent of the variance in clinical outcome was attributable to patient adherence (beta=0.41) and baseline depression severity (beta=0.65). Depression severity predicted clinical outcome but not patient participation. Participation predicted adherence (beta=0.39) but did not directly affect clinical outcome. Adherence was explainable by physician- (beta=0.57) and patient-reported treatment adherence (beta=0.66).

CONCLUSION

In a specific pathway via adherence, patient participation in decision-making influences clinical outcome in primary care of depression.

PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS

The research findings reveal the significance of patient participation as a key factor to address for improving treatment adherence and clinical outcome. Quality improvement strategies for depression treatment should emphasize patient participation.

Use of Depression Education Materials to Improve Treatment Compliance of Primary Care Patients

In a collaborative effort between a managed behavioral health organization, a health maintenance organization, and a state employer, this pilot study tested the value of mailing a depression education flyer to primary care patients who were recently prescribed antidepressant medications and an informational letter to their physician. The intervention, designed to improve use of behavioral healthcare services and antidepressant medication adherence, had a moderate impact on consistency of antidepressant medication use and on use of psychotherapy in combination with antidepressant medications. Additionally, intervention patients on combination treatment were more likely to stay on antidepressant medications into the continuation phase of treatment.

Adaptive and longitudinal pharmaceutical care instruction using an interactive voice response/text-to-speech system

OBJECTIVES

To develop a course structure that would more closely simulate the actual provision of pharmaceutical care.

DESIGN

An interactive voice response/text-to-speech system (hardware and software) for obtaining patient data was designed and used in a pharmaceutical care laboratory. Students called the system to collect data, listen to progress notes, make recommendations, and update the pharmaceutical care plan for virtual patients. Laboratory time was utilized to evaluate patient progress and respond to recommendations as well as to identify and solve drug-related problems.

ASSESSMENT

Students' recorded communications with the system and completed care plans were evaluated and a competency-based final examination was administered. Peer evaluations and course evaluations were administered.

CONCLUSION

This innovative approach challenged students and promoted interactive learning. Student evaluations indicated we achieved our objective of creating a course that more closely simulated the actual provision of pharmaceutical care.

An episode-based framework for analyzing health care expenditures: an application of reward renewal models

OBJECTIVE

To illustrate an episode-based framework for analyzing health care expenditures based on reward renewal models, a stochastic process used in engineering for describing processes that cycle on and off with "rewards" (or costs) occurring at the end of each cycle.

DATA SOURCES/STUDY SETTING

Data used in the illustration were collected as part of an evaluation of a national initiative to improve mental health services for children and youth. Participants were enrolled in a longitudinal study at a demonstration site and in a comparison community between 1997 and 1999. The illustration involves analyses of mental health expenditures at the two sites and of the dynamics of service use behind those expenditures.

DATA COLLECTION/EXTRACTION METHODS

Services data were derived from management information systems as well as patient records at inpatient facilities in the two communities. These data cover services received between 1997 and 2003. The analysis focuses on the year following study entry.

PRINCIPAL FINDINGS

Between-site differences in expenditures reflect complex between-site differences in the timing of service use. In particular, children at the demonstration stayed in treatment longer but were less likely to return for treatment later. In contrast, children at the comparison site experienced substantially less continuity of care. Costs per day of treatment within an episode were comparable at the two sites.

CONCLUSIONS

Reward renewal models offer a promising means for integrating research on service episodes and the dynamics of service use with that on health care expenditures.

Interventions to enhance medication adherence

BACKGROUND

People who are prescribed self-administered medications typically take less than half the prescribed doses. Efforts to assist patients with adherence to medications might improve the benefits of prescribed medications, but also might increase their adverse effects.

OBJECTIVES

To update a review summarizing the results of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of interventions to help patients follow prescriptions for medications for medical problems, including mental disorders but not addictions.

SEARCH STRATEGY

Computerized searches were updated to September 2004 without language restriction in MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, The Cochrane Library, International Pharmaceutical Abstracts (IPA), PsycINFO and SOCIOFILE. We also reviewed bibliographies in articles on patient adherence and articles in our personal collections, and contacted authors of original and review articles on the topic.

SELECTION CRITERIA

Articles were selected if they reported an unconfounded RCT of an intervention to improve adherence with prescribed medications, measuring both medication adherence and treatment outcome, with at least 80% follow-up of each group studied and, for long-term treatments, at least six months follow-up for studies with positive initial findings.

DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS

Study design features, interventions and controls, and results were extracted by one reviewer and confirmed by at least one other reviewer. We extracted adherence rates and their measures of variance for all methods of measuring adherence in each study, and all outcome rates and their measures of variance for each study group, as well as levels of statistical significance for differences between study groups, consulting authors and verifying or correcting analyses as needed.

MAIN RESULTS

For short-term treatments, four of nine interventions reported in eight RCTs showed an effect on both adherence and at least one clinical outcome, while one intervention reported in one RCT significantly improved patient compliance, but did not enhance the clinical outcome. For long-term treatments, 26 of 58 interventions reported in 49 RCTs were associated with improvements in adherence, but only 18 interventions led to improvement in at least one treatment outcome. Almost all of the interventions that were effective for long-term care were complex, including combinations of more convenient care, information, reminders, self-monitoring, reinforcement, counseling, family therapy, psychological therapy, crisis intervention, manual telephone follow-up, and supportive care. Even the most effective interventions did not lead to large improvements in adherence and treatment outcomes. Six studies showed that telling patients about adverse effects of treatment did not affect their adherence.

AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS

Improving short-term adherence is relatively successful with a variety of simple interventions. Current methods of improving adherence for chronic health problems are mostly complex and not very effective, so that the full benefits of treatment cannot be realized. High priority should be given to fundamental and applied research concerning innovations to assist patients to follow medication prescriptions for long-term medical disorders.

Effects of an educational compliance enhancement programme and therapeutic drug monitoring on treatment adherence in depressed patients managed by general practitioners

Medication non-adherence is a major obstacle in the treatment of affective disorders. The primary objective of this study was to evaluate two different interventions to improve adherence to antidepressant drugs. Secondary objectives included response to treatment, relation between adherence and response, patient satisfaction and tolerability. A randomized controlled design was used to assess the effect of a patient educational compliance enhancing programme (CP) and therapeutic drug monitoring in 1031 major depressed patients treated with sertraline for 24 weeks and managed by their general practitioner. Adherence was measured by questioning, measurable serum levels of sertraline and desmethylsertraline, appointments kept and a composite index including all three methods. Treatment adherence was found in 37-70% of patients, depending on the method used. Neither of the interventions resulted in a significant increase in adherence rate. However, significantly more patients in the CP group had responded at week 24 compared to patients in the control group. Overall, significantly more adherent patients responded to treatment compared to non-adherent patients, regardless of method used to determine adherence. This large study demonstrates that treatment response increases when using an educational compliance programme and that a strong relationship between treatment adherence and response exists.

Enhancing adherence to prevent depression relapse in primary care

We performed a randomized trial to prevent depression relapse in primary care by evaluating intervention effects on medication attitudes and self-management of depression. Three hundred and eighty six primary care patients at high risk for recurrent depression were randomized to receive a 12-month intervention. Interviews at baseline, 3, 6, 9, and 12-months assessed attitudes about medication, confidence in managing side effects, and depression self-management. This depression relapse prevention program significantly increased: 1) favorable attitudes toward antidepressant medication [Beta =.26, 95% C.I. = (.18,.33)]; 2) self-confidence in managing medication side effects [Beta =.53, 95% C.I. = (.15,.91)]; 3) depressive symptom monitoring [O.R. = 4.08, 95% C.I. = (2.80, 5.94)]; 4) checking for early warning signs [O.R. = 3.27, 95% C.I. = (2.32, 4.61)]; and, 5) planful coping [O.R. = 2.01, 95% C.I. = (1.49, 2.72)]. Significant predictors of adherence to long-term pharmacotherapy were: favorable attitudes toward antidepressant treatment [OR = 2.20, 95% CI = (1.50, 3.22)], and increased confidence in managing medication side effects [OR = 1.10, 95% CI = (1.04, 1.68)]. Among primary care patients at high risk for depression relapse, enhanced attitudes towards antidepressant medicines and higher confidence in managing side effects were key factors associated with greater adherence to maintenance pharmacotherapy.

Evidence review: efficacy and effectiveness of antidepressant treatment in primary care

This review considers evidence for the efficacy of pharmacotherapy among primary care patients with depressive disorders and reviews knowledge regarding the effectiveness of current practice. Strong evidence supports the efficacy of antidepressant pharmacotherapy for primary care patients with major depression and dysthymia with some evidence for pharmacotherapy of less severe depression. In general, available antidepressants appear equal in both efficacy and effectiveness. Treatment selection for any individual patient remains largely empirical, with few clinical characteristics predicting better or worse response to specific treatments. Strong evidence supports continuation treatment (i.e., at least six months of pharmacotherapy) for all patients and maintenance treatment (i.e., at least 24 months of pharmacotherapy) for those with chronic or recurrent depression. Unfortunately, few patients in primary care or specialty practice receive recommended levels of pharmacotherapy or recommended frequency of follow-up care. A number of recent studies have evaluated strategies to improve the quality of antidepressant treatment in primary care. Educational programs (including academic detailing and continuous quality improvement) have had little impact on patient outcomes. Key elements of effective care improvement programs include specific, evidence-based treatment protocols, organized patient education and active follow-up care.

The Work and Social Adjustment Scale: a simple measure of impairment in functioning

BACKGROUND

Patients' perspectives concerning impaired functioning provide important information. AIMS; To evaluate the reliability and validity of the Work and Social Adjustment Scale (WSAS).

METHOD

Data from two studies were analysed. Reliability analyses included internal scale consistency, test-retest and parallel forms. Convergent and criterion validities were examined with respect to disorder severity.

RESULTS

Cronbach's alpha measure of internal scale consistency ranged from 0.70 to 0.94. Test-retest correlation was 0.73. Interactive voice response administrations of the WSAS gave correlations of 0.81 and 0.86 with clinician interviews. Correlations of WSAS with severity of depression and obsessive-compulsive disorder symptoms were 0.76 and 0.61, respectively. The scores were sensitive to patient differences in disorder severity and treatment-related change.

CONCLUSIONS

The WSAS is a simple, reliable and valid measure of impaired functioning. It is a sensitive and useful outcome measure offering the potential for readily interpretable comparisons across studies and disorders.

Collaborative care model to improve outcomes in major depression

OBJECTIVE

To develop a pharmacist intervention to improve depression care and outcomes within a primary care setting.

METHODS

Pragmatic, randomized trial of a clinical pharmacist collaborative care intervention versus usual care in a busy, academic family practice clinic.

RESULTS

Seventy-four patients diagnosed with a new episode of major depression and started on antidepressant medications were randomized to enhanced care (EC) or usual care (UC) groups. EC consists of a clinical pharmacist collaborating with primary care providers (PCPs) to facilitate education, initiation, and titration of acute-phase antidepressant treatment to monitor treatment adherence and to prevent relapse. Control patients receive UC by their PCP. The main end point is reduction of depression symptoms over time as measured by the Hopkins Symptom Checklist (SCL-20). Other outcomes include the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, (DSM-IV) criteria for major depression, health-related quality of life measured by the Medical Outcomes Study Short Form 12 (SF-12), medication adherence, patient satisfaction, and healthcare utilization. The main end point and the cost of treating major depression will be used to estimate the cost-effectiveness of the collaborative care model.

CONCLUSIONS

The study is a unique, ongoing trial that may have important implications for the treatment of depression in primary care settings as well as new roles for clinical pharmacists.