%0 Journal Article
%T Does GP training in depression care affect patient outcome? - A systematic review and meta-analysis
%A Claudia Sikorski
%A Melanie Luppa
%A Hans-Helmut K£¿nig
%A Hendrik van den Bussche
%A Steffi G Riedel-Heller
%J BMC Health Services Research
%D 2012
%I BioMed Central
%R 10.1186/1472-6963-12-10
%X A systematic literature search was conducted reviewing research studies providing training of general practitioners, published from 1999 until May 2011, available on the electronic databases Medline, Web of Science, PsycINFO and the Cochrane Library as well as national guidelines and health technology assessments (HTA).108 articles were fully assessed and 11 articles met the inclusion criteria and were included. Training of providers alone (even in a specific interventional method) did not result in improved patient outcomes. The additional implementation of guidelines and the use of more complex interventions in primary care yield a significant reduction in depressive symptomatology. The number of studies examining sole provider training is limited, and studies include different patient samples (new on-set cases vs. chronically depressed patients), which reduce comparability.This is the first overview of randomized controlled trials introducing GP training for depression care. Provider training by itself does not seem to improve depression care; however, if combined with additional guidelines implementation, results are promising for new-onset depression patient samples. Additional organizational structure changes in form of collaborative care models are more likely to show effects on depression care.Depressive disorders are highly prevalent in the general public. The 12-month prevalence of Major Depression among Europeans has shown to be approximately 6.9% while conservative estimates of the lifetime prevalence range up to 14% [1,2]. Depression is associated with significant functional impairment and reduced quality of life [3,4], excess mortality rates [5] and particularly high costs for society and health care systems [6-9]. Considering the large effects of the disease on individuals and society, it seems clear that early detection and treatment is a desirable goal in order to promote remission and reduce negative consequences [10].While 50 to 70 per cent of all
%K depression
%K primary care
%K training
%K health service
%U http://www.biomedcentral.com/1472-6963/12/10