Dinesh Mittal

Practice Based Versus Telemedicine Based Collaborative Care for Depression in Rural Federally Qualified Health Centers: A Pragmatic Randomized Comparative Effectiveness Trial

OBJECTIVE Practice-based collaborative care is a complex evidence-based practice that is difficult to implement in smaller primary care practices that lack on-site mental health staff. Telemedicine-based collaborative care virtually co-locates and integrates mental health providers into primary care settings. The objective of this multisite randomized pragmatic comparative effectiveness trial was to compare the outcomes of patients assigned to practice-based and telemedicine-based collaborative care. METHOD From 2007 to 2009, patients at federally qualified health centers serving medically underserved populations were screened for depression, and 364 patients who screened positive were enrolled and followed for 18 months. Those assigned to practice-based collaborative care received evidence-based care from an on-site primary care provider and a nurse care manager. Those assigned to telemedicine-based collaborative care received evidence-based care from an on-site primary care provider and an off-site team: a nurse care manager and a pharmacist by telephone, and a psychologist and a psychiatrist via videoconferencing. The primary clinical outcome measures were treatment response, remission, and change in depression severity. RESULTS Significant group main effects were observed for both response (odds ratio=7.74, 95% CI=3.94-15.20) and remission (odds ratio=12.69, 95% CI=4.81-33.46), and a significant overall group-by-time interaction effect was observed for depression severity on the Hopkins Symptom Checklist, with greater reductions in severity over time for patients in the telemedicine-based group. Improvements in outcomes appeared to be attributable to higher fidelity to the collaborative care evidence base in the telemedicine-based group. CONCLUSIONS Contracting with an off-site telemedicine-based collaborative care team can yield better outcomes than implementing practice-based collaborative care with locally available staff.

Mental health stigma and primary health care decisions

People with serious mental illness have higher rates of mortality and morbidity due to physical illness. In part, this occurs because primary care and other health providers sometimes make decisions contrary to typical care standards. This might occur because providers endorse mental illness stigma, which seems inversely related to prior personal experience with mental illness and mental health care. In this study, 166 health care providers (42.2% primary care, 57.8% mental health practice) from the Veteran׳s Affairs (VA) medical system completed measures of stigma characteristics, expected adherence, and subsequent health decisions (referral to a specialist and refill pain prescription) about a male patient with schizophrenia who was seeking help for low back pain due to arthritis. Research participants reported comfort with previous mental health interventions. Path analyses showed participants who endorsed stigmatizing characteristics of the patient were more likely to believe he would not adhere to treatment and hence, less likely to refer to a specialist or refill his prescription. Endorsement of stigmatizing characteristics was inversely related to comfort with one׳s previous mental health care. Implications of these findings will inform a program meant to enhance VA provider attitudes about people with mental illness, as well as their health decisions.

Beliefs about depression and depression treatment among depressed veterans

Introduction: Because of the misunderstanding and stigmatization of mental health disorders and treatment, health beliefs may be important in treatment seeking for depression. It is important to understand patients’ beliefs about mental health disorders and mental health treatment to improve systems of care. Methods: We studied beliefs about depression and depression treatment among patients in a randomized trial of a chronic care intervention to improve depression treatment in the Veterans Administration healthcare system (n = 395). The Depression Beliefs Inventory was used to assess beliefs regarding: (1) perceived need for depression treatment, (2) the efficacy of depression treatment, and (3) treatment barriers, including stigma, at baseline and 6 months. We calculated descriptive statistics on patients’ baseline beliefs, and used multiple regression to investigate the extent to which beliefs changed in intervention and treatment as usual patients between baseline and 6-month assessments. We used logistic regression to investigate the relationship between beliefs and antidepressant initiation, adherence and clinical response. Results: At baseline, 73% of our sample believed that they had depression, and 66% believed that taking antidepressants would be helpful for their depression. However, the depression intervention had few effects on beliefs, and individual beliefs were generally not associated with taking medication or clinical response. However, a summary measure of beliefs was found to have predictive validity with respect to initiating and adhering to antidepressant treatment. Discussion: Our results highlight the potential difficulty in modifying individuals’ attitudes regarding depression and depression treatment in chronic care models for depression interventions.

Worsening of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms with Cognitive Decline: Case Series

We present three cases of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms associated with cognitive decline. Patient age ranged from 57 to 70 years old and all patients had war-related PTSD. In each case, the patient had a history of PTSD that was under fairly good control until the onset of cognitive impairment due to Alzheimers disease or vascular or alcohol-related dementia. These cases suggest that neurodegeneration of memory pathways may dis inhibit symptoms of PTSD. (J Geriatr Psychiatry Neurol 2001; 14:17-20).

Correlates of health-related quality of well-being in older patients with schizophrenia.

Research on correlates of health-related quality of life (HRQOL) among older patients with schizophrenia has been very limited. This study evaluated the relative impact of positive, negative, and depressive symptoms, movement disorders, and cognitive impairment on HRQOL among middle-aged and older patients with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder. Participants were 199 patients aged 45 to 85 years. The study was cross-sectional. The primary outcome measure was the Quality of Well-Being scale, and correlates were measures of positive and negative symptoms, depression, abnormal movements, and cognitive performance. Severity of depressive symptoms and of cognitive impairment correlated significantly with HRQOL and independently affected HRQOL scores. The initiation/perseveration subscale of the Dementia Rating Scale had the largest impact. These findings suggest that depressive symptoms and cognitive functioning should be part of the routine assessment of older people with schizophrenia and may be targets for psychopharmacological and psychosocial interventions to improve HRQOL.

Relationship between antidepressant medication possession and treatment response

OBJECTIVE To estimate the correlation between antidepressant medication possession ratios (MPR) measured from administrative pharmacy data and changes in self-reported depression symptoms. METHODS The sample includes 360 primary care patients enrolled in a randomized trial of collaborative care in the Department of Veterans Affairs. Treatment response at 6 months was defined as a 50% improvement in symptoms as measured by the Hopkins Symptom Checklist (SCL-20). MPRs were calculated from administrative pharmacy data. Logistic regression analysis (controlling for intervention status and casemix) was used to test the hypothesis that MPR was significantly associated with treatment response. RESULTS Seventy percent of the patients filled an antidepressant prescription and the average MPR was 0.46. A fifth (19.2%) of the patients responded to treatment. Having an MPR > or = 0.9 was significantly correlated with treatment response (OR=2.43, CI(95)=1.29-4.57, P=.006). CONCLUSIONS If the predictive validity of antidepressant MPR measured from administrative pharmacy data is validated in other patient populations, it could be used to estimate treatment response rates whenever it is not feasible to collect symptom data directly from patients. Thus, the effectiveness of quality improvement programs designed to increase rates of antidepressant initiation and adherence could potentially be evaluated routinely at the population or system level.

Cost-Effectiveness of On-Site Versus Off-Site Collaborative Care for Depression in Rural FQHCs

OBJECTIVE Collaborative care for depression in primary care settings is effective and cost-effective. However, there is minimal evidence to support the choice of on-site versus off-site models. This study examined the cost-effectiveness of on-site practice-based collaborative care (PBCC) versus off-site telemedicine-based collaborative care (TBCC) for depression in federally qualified health centers (FQHCs). METHODS In a multisite, randomized, pragmatic comparative cost-effectiveness trial, 19,285 patients were screened for depression, 2,863 (14.8%) screened positive, and 364 were enrolled. Telephone interview data were collected at baseline and at six, 12, and 18 months. Base case analysis used Arkansas FQHC health care costs, and secondary analysis used national cost estimates. Effectiveness measures were depression-free days and quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) derived from depression-free days, the 12-Item Short-Form Survey, and the Quality of Well-Being (QWB) Scale. Nonparametric bootstrap with replacement methods were used to generate an empirical joint distribution of incremental costs and QALYs and acceptability curves. RESULTS The TBCC intervention resulted in more depression-free days and QALYs but at a greater cost than the PBCC intervention. The disease-specific (depression-free day) and generic (QALY) incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICERs) were below their respective ICER thresholds for implementation, suggesting that the TBCC intervention was more cost effective than the PBCC intervention. CONCLUSIONS These results support the cost-effectiveness of TBCC in medically underserved primary care settings. Information about whether to insource (make) or outsource (buy) depression care management is important, given the current interest in patient-centered medical homes, value-based purchasing, and bundled payments for depression care.

Trichotillomania associated with dementia: a case report ☆

Trichotillomania represents a syndrome of hair pulling in which patients compulsively and ritualistically pluck their hair in response to a sense of tension or urgency. This report documents a case of hair pulling associated with dementia. Neuropsychological testing demonstrated the deficits to be localized predominantly to the frontal lobe dysfunction.

Reduction of Patient-Reported Antidepressant Side Effects, by Type of Collaborative Care

OBJECTIVE Antidepressants are effective for treating depression, and collaborative care increases initiation of and adherence to antidepressants. Side effects of antidepressants are common and can adversely affect quality of life. Care managers address antidepressant side effects directly, but the impact of collaborative care on adverse effects is unknown. This secondary data analysis tested the hypothesis that patient-reported antidepressant side effects were lower for depressed patients receiving high-intensity, telemedicine-based collaborative care (TBCC) than for patients receiving low-intensity, practice-based collaborative care (PBCC). METHODS This analysis used data from 190 patients enrolled in a pragmatic, multisite, comparative-effectiveness trial from 2007 to 2009 and followed for 18 months. Most patients were female (83%) and Caucasian (80%). The mean age was 50. Patients randomly assigned to PBCC received 12 months of evidence-based care from an on-site primary care provider and nurse care manager. Patients in TBCC received evidence-based care from an on-site primary care provider supported by a nurse care manager available off site by telephone, as well as by a telepharmacist, telepsychologist, and telepsychiatrist. Telephone interviews completed at baseline, six, 12, and 18 months included assessments of sociodemographic characteristics, beliefs about antidepressant treatment, depression severity, psychiatric comorbidity, medications, adherence, and side effects. RESULTS With controls for baseline case mix and time-variant medication characteristics, the TBCC group reported significantly fewer side effects at six and 12 months (p=.008 and .002, respectively). The number of antidepressants prescribed increased risk of side effects (p=.02). CONCLUSIONS Patients in the TBCC group reported fewer antidepressant-related side effects, which may have contributed to improved quality of life.

Management of New Hyperglycemia in Patients Prescribed Antipsychotics

OBJECTIVE This study examined the extent to which patients found to have clinically significant hyperglycemia after beginning a new antipsychotic receive guideline concordant management. METHODS This retrospective cohort analysis (N=403) used U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs databases and multivariable logistic regression models to examine the association of patient characteristics with the likelihood of receiving recommended management. RESULTS Overall, 63% of patients (N=254) received at least one type of management action within 30 days of identification of hyperglycemia. A primary care encounter was the most common action. Weight management program encounter, nutrition encounter, diabetes clinic encounter, and change in antipsychotic medications were underutilized interventions. Counseling related to weight management, nutrition, and diabetes that occurred during other visits with providers was not measured. Older patients and female patients were less likely to receive timely management. Preexisting comorbidities inconsistently influenced management practices. CONCLUSIONS Timely hyperglycemia management actions were not recorded in administrative data for a sizable minority of patients. Further research is needed to determine the full extent of appropriate management actions in this context.