A randomized trial of pharmacotherapy with telephone monitoring to improve treatment of depression in primary care in Santiago, Chile Un ensayo clínico aleatorizado de farmacoterapia con monitorización telefónica para mejorar el tratamiento de la depresió

Abstract

Background: Depression is a public health problem, due to its high prevalence and its associated disability. Aim: To compare a pharmacological intervention for depression controlled by phone from a central level (TM) and the usual treatment (TH) in a randomized clinical trial. Material and methods: Three hundred and forty five women, aged 22 to 59 years were studied. They were randomly assigned to receive the usual therapy or a pharmacological intervention with periodical telephone contacts with medical collaboration personnel, to reinforce compliance with treatment and educate about the disease. Women were blindly evaluated at 3 and 6 months with the Hamilton depression rating score (HDRS) and the SF-36 to assess depressive symptoms and quality of life, respectively. Results: In both evaluations, improvement was significantly greater in the TM group than the TH group. At 3 months, improvement was higher in the TM group in the subscales of physical function, pain, general health, energ