[Primary care and mental health care collaboration in patients with depression: Evaluation of a pilot experience].

OBJECTIVE: To implement and assess a collaborative experience between Primary Care (PC) and Mental Health (MH) in order to improve the care of patients with depression.

DESIGN: Pilot collaborative project from a participatory action research approach during 2013.

LOCATION: Basque Country. Osakidetza (Basque Health Service). Bizkaia and Gipuzkoa.

PARTICIPANTS: The study included 207 professionals from general practice, nursing, psychiatry, psychiatric nursing, psychology and social work of 9 health centres and 6 mental health centres of Osakidetza.

INTERVENTIONS: Shared design and development of four axes of intervention: 1) Communication and knowledge between PC and MH professionals, 2) Improvement of diagnostic coding and referral of patients, 3) Training programmes with meetings and common Clinical Practice Guidelines, and 4) Evaluation.

MAIN MEASUREMENTS: Intervention and control questionnaires to professionals of the centres on the knowledge and satisfaction in the PC-MH relationship, joint training activities, and assessment of the experience. Osakidetza registers of prevalences, referrals and treatments. Follow-up meetings.

RESULTS: Improvement in the 4 axes of intervention in the participant centres compared with the controls. Identification of factors to be considered in the development and sustainability of PC-MH collaborative care.

CONCLUSIONS: The pilot experience confirms that collaborative projects promoted by PC and MH can improve depression care and the satisfaction of professionals. They are complex projects that need simultaneous interventions adjusted to the particularities of the health services. Multidisciplinary and continuous participation and management and information system support are necessary for their implementation.