Can collaborative care alleviate depression and anxiety in patients suffering from multimorbidities?

New research published in the BMJ shows how patients with mental and physical multimorbidity can benefit from integrated models of collaborative care delivered by practice nurses and psychological well-being practitioners in primary care.

Although NICE guidelines suggest that collaborative care may be useful for patients with depression and long-term conditions, there was no definitive test of effectiveness. The Collaborative Interventions for Circulation and Depression (COINCIDE) trial found that patients with moderate to severe depression and multiple long-term conditions had lower depression and anxiety when managed within a collaborative framework that included low intensity psychological interventions and joint sessions with practice nurses. They also reported being better self-managers and felt their care was more patient-centred.

The COINCIDE trial was led by NIHR Collaboration for Leadership in Applied Health Research and Care (CLAHRC) Greater Manchester Research Fellow Dr Peter Coventry.