Volume 43 | Number 6 | December 2008

Abstract List

Kenneth B. Wells, Lingqi Tang, Jeanne Miranda, Bernadette Benjamin, Naihua Duan, Cathy D. Sherbourne


Objective

To examine 9‐year outcomes of implementation of short‐term quality improvement (QI) programs for depression in primary care.


Data Sources

Depressed primary care patients from six U.S. health care organizations.


Study Design

Group‐level, randomized controlled trial.


Data Collection

Patients were randomly assigned to short‐term QI programs supporting education and resources for medication management (QI‐Meds) or access to evidence‐based psychotherapy (QI‐Therapy); and usual care (UC). Of 1,088 eligible patients, 805 (74 percent) completed 9‐year follow‐up; results were extrapolated to 1,269 initially enrolled and living. Outcomes were psychological well‐being (Mental Health Inventory, five‐item version [MHI5]), unmet need, services use, and intermediate outcomes.


Principal Findings

At 9 years, there were no overall intervention status effects on MHI5 or unmet need (largest  (2,41)=2.34, =.11), but relative to UC, QI‐Meds worsened MHI5, reduced effectiveness of coping and among whites lowered tangible social support (smallest (42)=2.02, =.05). The interventions reduced outpatient visits and increased perceived barriers to care among whites, but reduced attitudinal barriers due to racial discrimination and other factors among minorities (smallest  (2,41)=3.89, =.03).


Conclusions

Main intervention effects were over but the results suggest some unintended negative consequences at 9 years particularly for the medication‐resource intervention and shifts to greater perceived barriers among whites yet reduced attitudinal barriers among minorities.