NL
DE
Depression is a prevalent and burdensome mental health condition, affecting one in five people during their lifetime, with about 8% of adults suffering annually. Approximately 70% of patients with depression are treated in primary care. However, providing person-centered treatment in general practice is challenging due to insufficient tools for guiding, measuring, and monitoring symptoms objectively. This lack of feedback hampers effective care.
A study led by Marcia Spoelder, Suzanne Ligthart, and Tim olde Hartman from the General Practice Research group at Radboudumc aims to develop and evaluate a data-driven, person-centered depression treatment using Measurement Based Care (MBC) through the Patient Journey App. This app, developed in collaboration with patients and healthcare professionals, will generate personalized overviews based on tailored questionnaires about patients' context, general wellbeing, quality of life, functioning, and treatment goals. These overviews will be provided to both patients and General Practitioners (GPs) to facilitate the evaluation of depression and its treatment during primary care consultations.
The effectiveness of MBC will be studied in a cluster randomized controlled multicenter clinical trial involving 200 patients from 24 general practices in Nijmegen, Amsterdam, and Groningen. The trial will compare usual care with MBC-enhanced care, assessing its impact on treatment goals, depressive symptoms, and quality of life.
The project is conducted in collaboration with the Dutch General Practitioners Research Consortium, the department of Psychiatry at Radboudumc, Amsterdam UMC, University Medical Center Groningen, Pro Persona GGZ, Nivel, and patient representatives from Ixta Noa and Interactive Studios. Funded by the General Practice Knowledge Programme (KPHAG) of ZonMw, the project aligns with the National Research Agenda of General Practice, aiming to strengthen the scientific foundation for improving patient care and well-being in general practice.
