Biomedical subjects

Elizabeth Lin

Publications and source records attributed to Elizabeth Lin.

27 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

PubMed2002

Long-term effects of a collaborative care intervention in persistently depressed primary care patients.

OBJECTIVE: A previous study described the effect of a collaborative care intervention on improving adherence to antidepressant medications and depressive and functional outcomes of patients with persistent depressive symptoms 8 weeks after the primary care physician initiated treatment. This paper examined the 28-month effect of this intervention on adherence, depressive symptoms, functioning, and health care costs. DESIGN: Randomized trial of stepped collaborative care intervention versus usual care. SETTING: HMO in Seattle, Wash. PATIENTS: Patients with major depression were stratified into severe and moderate depression groups prior to randomization. INTERVENTIONS: A multifaceted intervention targeting patient, physician, and process of care, using collaborative management by a psychiatrist and a primary care physician. MEASURES AND MAIN RESULTS: The collaborative care intervention was associated with continued improvement in depressive symptoms at 28 months in patients in the moderate-severity group (F1,87 = 8.65; P =.004), but not in patients in the high-severity group (F1,51 = 0.02; P =.88) Improvements in the intervention group in antidepressant adherence were found to occur for the first 6 months (chi2(1) = 8.23; P <.01) and second 6-month period (chi2(1) = 5.98; P <.05) after randomization in the high-severity group and for 6 months after randomization in the moderate-severity group(chi2(1) = 6.10; P <.05). There were no significant differences in total ambulatory costs between intervention and control patients over the 28-month period (F1,180 = 0.77; P =.40). CONCLUSIONS: A collaborative care intervention was associated with sustained improvement in depressive outcomes without additional health care costs in approximately two thirds of primary care patients with persistent depressive symptoms.

Adult↗

PubMed2002

Depression-related short-term disability in an employed population.

There has been a growing realization that the number of workplace disability claims for mental and nervous disorders is increasing. Yet, little is known about the working population disabled by these disorders. Absence of basic information describing this population makes it virtually impossible to plan effective workplace programs. Using administrative data collected from three major Canadian financial/insurance sector employers, we focus on one group of disorders--depression. In this study, we report the prevalence of short-term disability due to depression and describe the characteristics of workers affected and their disability outcomes. We observed that compared with other nervous and mental disorders, depression-related short-term disability generally affected more employees, lasted longer, and had a higher rate of recurrence. In addition, at the end of their episodes more than three quarters of workers returned to work. These estimates suggest that the potential magnitude of the impact of short-term disability should be a concern for employers. This study helps identify the main characteristics of workers who develop depression-related disability. It also helps clarify what happens to those on short-term disability.

Adult↗

PubMed2002

Dropping out of mental health treatment: patterns and predictors among epidemiological survey respondents in the United States and Ontario.

OBJECTIVE: The authors interviewed individuals treated for self-described mental health problems in the preceding year to examine patterns and predictors associated with dropping out of treatment. METHOD: Subjects were drawn from respondents to community epidemiological surveys carried out in representative samples of the United States and Ontario populations. Dropouts were those who had left mental health treatment during the prior year for reasons other than symptom improvement. The surveys also assessed potential dropout correlates: sociodemographic characteristics, attitudes about mental health care, disorder type, provider type, and treatment received. RESULTS: The proportion of dropouts did not significantly differ between the United States (19.2%) and Ontario (16.9%), nor did the effects of the predictors differ significantly between the two samples. Sociodemographic characteristics associated with treatment dropout included low income, young age, and, in the United States, lacking insurance coverage for mental health treatment. Patient attitudes associated with dropout included viewing mental health treatment as relatively ineffective and embarrassment about seeing a mental health provider. Respondents who received both medication and talk therapy were less likely to drop out than those who received single-modality treatments. CONCLUSIONS: Mental health treatment dropout is a serious problem, especially among patients who have low income, are young, lack insurance, are offered only single-modality treatments, and have negative attitudes about mental health care. Cost-effective interventions targeting these groups are needed to increase the proportion of patients who complete an adequate course of treatment.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Depression and diabetes symptom burden.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the relationship among patient-reported diabetes symptoms, severity of depressive illness and objective measures of diabetes control and severity among a population-based sample of patients with diabetes. METHODS: A mailed survey was sent to all patients with diabetes from nine primary care clinics of a Health Maintenance Organization. The Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) was used to diagnose major depression, the Self-Completion Patient Outcome instrument assessed diabetes symptoms and automated medical record data were used to measure diabetes treatment intensity, HbA(1c) levels, diabetes complications and medical comorbidity. Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) was used to determine if the number of diabetes symptoms was related to having major depression and to number of depressive symptoms. Logistic regression analyses determined the relative strengths of the associations between each individual diabetic symptom and presence of major depression, HbA(1c) levels above 8.0% and two or more diabetes complications. RESULTS: Among 4168 patients with diabetes, those with major depression (N=487) reported significantly more diabetes symptoms (mean=4.40) than participants without depression (mean=2.46) after adjusting for demographic characteristics, objective measures of diabetes severity and medical comorbidity [F(1,4029)=339.31, P<.0001]. The overall number of diabetes symptoms was related to the number of depressive symptoms (from 0 to 9) endorsed by participants [F(9,4021)=110.05, P<.0001]. Logistic regression analyses found that depression was significantly related to each of the 10 diabetes symptoms (all P<.001). CONCLUSIONS: The depression-diabetes symptom association is stronger than the association of diabetes symptoms with measures of glycemic control and diabetes complications.

Aged↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Where is the patient? The association of psychosocial factors and missed primary care appointments in patients with diabetes.

OBJECTIVE: Missed appointments are associated with poorer health outcomes. We predicted that compared to secure attachment style, fearful and dismissing attachment styles would be associated with greater number of missed primary care visits in patients with diabetes. METHODS: In patients with diabetes from nine health maintenance organization primary care clinics, we collected data on attachment style and major depression status, and determined the number of missed primary care appointments from automated data. We used Poisson and logistic regression analyses to determine if attachment style was associated with the number of missed primary care same day appointments, scheduled office visits and scheduled preventive care visits, after adjusting for demographics, clinical characteristics, appointment frequency and clustering by clinic. We included major depression as a potential effect modifier. RESULTS: Among 3,923 patients with diabetes, prevalence rates of attachment styles were 43.9% for secure, 35.8% for dismissing, 8.1% for preoccupied and 12.2% for fearful attachment style. Major depression was present in 12.4% of patients. Among patients without major depression, there were more missed scheduled office visits (RR=1.46, 95% CI=1.18-1.81) among those with dismissing compared to secure attachment style. The likelihood of having missed same day appointments was lower for those with fearful attachment style relative to those with secure attachment style in nondepressed patients compared to patients with fearful and secure attachment style with major depression (P < .01). CONCLUSIONS: Attachment styles characterized by low levels of collaboration are associated with more missed primary care appointments compared to secure attachment style in patients with diabetes. These associations are moderated by depression status.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Panic episodes among patients with diabetes.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to examine the prevalence of panic episodes in persons with diabetes and the demographic, behavioral and clinical characteristics associated with panic symptoms in persons with diabetes. METHOD: A survey mailed to 4385 patients with diabetes assessed recent experiences of panic episodes, depression, diabetes symptoms, quality of life, disability, smoking status and body mass index. Automated medical record data were used to measure diabetes treatment, hemoglobin A1c (Hb(A1c)) levels, diabetes complications and medical comorbidity. RESULTS: One hundred ninety-three (4.4%) participants reported recent panic episodes, among whom 54.5% also met criteria for major depression. After accounting for the effects of depression, panic episodes were associated with higher Hb(A1c) values, increased diabetic complications and symptoms, greater disability and lower self-rated health and functioning. CONCLUSION: Panic is strongly associated with decrements in disease status and functioning. Since panic is often comorbid with depression, efforts to address psychological disorders among persons with diabetes may need to pay increased attention to anxiety and mood disorders.

Anxiety Disorders↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Improving primary care treatment of depression among patients with diabetes mellitus: the design of the pathways study.

This paper describes the methodology of a population based study of primary care patients with diabetes mellitus enrolled in a health maintenance organization. The first goal was to determine the prevalence and impact of depression in patients with diabetes. The second goal was to randomize approximately 300 patients with diabetes and major depression and/or dysthymia in a trial to test the effectiveness of a collaborative care intervention in improving quality of care and health outcomes among patients with diabetes and depression.

Major Depressive Disorder↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Effect on disability outcomes of a depression relapse prevention program.

OBJECTIVE: This report evaluates the effects of a depression relapse prevention program on disability outcomes among patients treated for depression at high risk for relapse. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Primary care patients initiating antidepressant treatment for depression were assessed 6 to 8 weeks after the initial prescription. Patients responding to initial treatment but at high risk for relapse were randomized to usual care or a relapse prevention intervention (N= 386). The 12-month relapse prevention program included systematic patient education, two psycho-educational visits with a depression prevention specialist, shared decision-making regarding maintenance pharmacotherapy, and ongoing monitoring of medication adherence and depressive symptoms via telephone and mail. Disability outcomes were assessed via blinded telephone assessments at 3, 6, 9, and 12 months using SF-36 and Sheehan Disability scales. RESULTS: Usual care patients and relapse prevention program patients had high rates of use of maintenance pharmacotherapy. Both relapse prevention and usual care patients showed improved functioning over the 12-month follow-up period. One of the three disability measures (the SF-36 Social Function scale) showed a significant intervention effect because of continuing improvement at 9 and 12 month follow-up, whereas the Sheehan Disability Scale showed a nonsignificant trend toward greater improvements in disability among relapse prevention patients than among usual care controls. CONCLUSIONS: Moderate effects of a relapse prevention intervention on depressive symptoms were associated with modest and variable effects on disability outcomes. Inconsistent effects of the intervention for disability outcomes may be because of the high rates of maintenance pharmacotherapy among usual care patients, relatively mild levels of depressive symptoms among both intervention and control patients at baseline, the absence of a specific relapse prevention effect of the intervention, and the resultant modest differences in depressive symptoms between intervention and control patients in this trial.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Influence of patient attachment style on self-care and outcomes in diabetes.

OBJECTIVE: Difficulties collaborating with providers and important others may adversely influence self-management in patients with diabetes. We predicted that dismissing attachment style, characterized by high interpersonal self-reliance and low trust of others, would be associated with poorer self-management in patients with diabetes. METHODS: A population-based mail survey was sent to all patients with diabetes from nine primary care clinics of a health maintenance organization. We collected data on attachment style, self-care behaviors, the patient provider relationship and depression status and accessed automated diagnostic, pharmacy, and laboratory data to measure diabetes treatment intensity, medical comorbidity, glycosylated hemoglobin levels, and diabetes complications. We used logistic regression to determine whether dismissing attachment style was associated with poorer diabetes self-care behaviors, adherence to medication, smoking status, and higher glycosylated hemoglobin. RESULTS: In 4095 primary care patients with diabetes, prevalence rates for secure, dismissing, preoccupied, and fearful attachment styles were 44.2%, 35.8%, 7.9%, and 12.1%, respectively. When compared with secure attachment style, dismissing attachment style was associated with significantly lower levels of exercise (p =.005), foot care (p <.05), diet (p =.001), and adherence to oral hypoglycemic medications (p <.05), and with higher rates of smoking (p <.05), and these associations were mediated through the patient-provider relationship. Preoccupied attachment style, characterized by overreliance on others, was associated with a significantly lower risk of having glycosylated hemoglobin levels >8%, compared with secure attachment style. CONCLUSION: Attachment style is significantly associated with diabetes self-management and outcomes.

Adult↗