Quality of care for depression is improved when patients participate actively in the patient-physician encounter and when physicians explore and validate patient concerns. This analysis of data from a randomized trial that included 152 primary care physicians found that physician exploration and validation of patients' concerns - including the patient's symptoms, ideas, expectations, functioning and feelings - is linked to quality of care for depression. Higher levels of validation of patients' concerns are associated with higher rates of prescribing antidepressants for patients who will likely benefit from them, and with a weakened effect of patient requests on prescribing behavior, lowering the likelihood that patients will receive unnecessary medication.

Exploring and Validating Patient Concerns: Relation to Prescribing for Depression
By Ronald M. Epstein, M.D., et al

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Annals of Family Medicine tip sheet

Annals of Family Medicine is a peer-reviewed, indexed research journal that provides a cross-disciplinary forum for new, evidence-based information affecting the primary care disciplines. Annals of Family Medicine is sponsored by six family medical organizations, including the American Academy of Family Physicians, the American Board of Family Medicine, the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine, the Association of Departments of Family Medicine, the Association of Family Medicine Residency Directors and the North American Primary Care Research Group. Annals of Family Medicine is published six times each year and contains original research from the clinical, biomedical, social and health services areas, as well as contributions on methodology and theory, selected reviews, essays and editorials. Complete editorial content and interactive discussion groups for each published article can be accessed free of charge on the journal's Web site, annfammed/.

Contact: Kristin Robinson
American Academy of Family Physicians