Depression screening using patient-targeted feedback in general practices: study protocol of the German multicentre...

Area of Science:

• Clinical Psychology
• General Practice
• Psychiatry

Background:

• Depression affects 1 in 6 primary care patients and often goes undetected.
• Evidence on depression screening efficacy in primary care is inconsistent.
• Previous trials suggest feedback post-screening can reduce depression severity and improve mental healthcare engagement.

Purpose of the Study:

• To test the efficacy of a patient-targeted feedback intervention in primary care.
• To evaluate if tailored feedback enhances depression screening outcomes.
• To assess the impact on patient engagement in mental healthcare.

Main Methods:

• A multicentre, three-arm randomised controlled trial (RCT) involving 1074 primary care patients.
• Depression screening using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9).
• Randomization into groups receiving patient- and GP-targeted feedback, GP-targeted feedback only, or no feedback, followed for 12 months.

Main Results:

• The primary outcome is depression severity (PHQ-9) at 6 months post-screening.
• Secondary outcomes include mental healthcare engagement, professional depression care, and cost-effectiveness.
• Intention-to-treat analysis will be applied to all randomized patients.

Conclusions:

• The GET.FEEDBACK.GP RCT is the first primary care trial of patient-targeted feedback adjunct to depression screening.
• Results may inform future depression care guidelines.
• Findings will be disseminated in scientific and patient-friendly formats.