Project direct: Pilot study of a collaborative intervention for depressed seniors

Abstract

This pilot study assessed the feasibility of a randomized controlled trial of an intervention for major depression among seniors in Canadian family practice. The intervention involved care by a family physician augmented by a Depression Care Practitioner, the latter working under the supervision of a psychiatrist. Treatments included family doctors' prescriptions of antidepressants according to an evidence- based study algorithm and/or brief problem-solving therapy. Eligible patients aged 60+ were identified in a 2-step screening process: 68 patients from 29 Montreal family practices were randomized, and 66 completed the 2-month follow-up. Results support the feasibility of a multisite trial of this intervention.