Cited by 194Digital Mental Health InterventionsMental Health Treatment and AccessAnxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 26 of the 26 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.

Stratified Care vs Stepped Care for Depression: A Cluster Randomized Clinical Trial

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Abstract

Importance: Depression is a major cause of disability worldwide. Although empirically supported treatments are available, there is scarce evidence on how to effectively personalize psychological treatment selection. Objective: To compare the clinical effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of 2 treatment selection strategies: stepped care and stratified care. Design, Setting, and Participants: This multisite, cluster randomized clinical trial recruited participants from the English National Health Service from July 5, 2018, to February 1, 2019. Thirty clinicians working across 4 psychological therapy services were randomly assigned to provide stratified (n = 15) or stepped (n = 15) care. In stepped care, patients sequentially access low-intensity guided self-help followed by high-intensity psychotherapy. In stratified care, patients are matched with either low- or high-intensity treatments at initial assessment. Data were analyzed from May 18, 2020, to October 13, 2021, using intention-to-treat principles. Interventions: All clinicians used the same interview schedule to conduct initial assessments with patients seeking psychological treatment for common mental disorders, but those in the stratified care group received a personalized treatment recommendation for each patient generated by a machine learning algorithm. Eligible patients received either stratified or stepped care (ie, treatment as usual). Main Outcomes and Measures: The preregistered outcome was posttreatment reliable and clinically significant improvement (RCSI) of depression symptoms (measured using the 9-item Patient Health Questionnaire). The RCSI outcome was compared between groups using logistic regression adjusted for baseline severity. Cost-effectiveness analyses compared incremental costs and health outcomes of the 2 treatment pathways. Results: A total of 951 patients were included (618 women among 950 with data available [65.1%]; mean [SD] age, 38.27 [14.53] years). The proportion of cases of RCSI was significantly higher in the stratified care arm compared with the stepped care arm (264 of 505 [52.3%] vs 134 of 297 [45.1%]; odds ratio, 1.40 [95% CI, 1.04-1.87]; P = .03). Stratified care was associated with a higher mean additional cost per patient (£104.5 [95% CI, £67.5-£141.6] [$139.83 (95% CI, $90.32-$189.48)]; P < .001) because more patients accessed high-intensity treatments (332 of 583 [56.9%] vs 107 of 368 [29.1%]; χ2 = 70.51; P < .001), but this additional cost resulted in an approximately 7% increase in the probability of RCSI. Conclusions and Relevance: In this cluster randomized clinical trial of adults with common mental disorders, stratified care was efficacious and cost-effective for the treatment of depression symptoms compared with stepped care. Stratified care can improve depression treatment outcomes at a modest additional cost. Trial Registration: isrctn.org Identifier: ISRCTN11106183.

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Crossref · 10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2021.3539

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Figure 1. CONSORT Diagram IAPT indicates Improving Access to Psychological Therapies; PHQ-9, 9-item Patient Health Questionnaire.
Figure 1. CONSORT Diagram IAPT indicates Improving Access to Psychological Therapies; PHQ-9, 9-item Patient Health Questionnaire.CC BY · PubMed Central
Figure 2. Treatment Pathways, Costs, and Outcomes in Stratified and Stepped Care To convert costs to US dollars, multiply pounds sterling by 1.338.
Figure 2. Treatment Pathways, Costs, and Outcomes in Stratified and Stepped Care To convert costs to US dollars, multiply pounds sterling by 1.338.CC BY · PubMed Central
Figure 3. Cost-effectiveness Acceptability Curve Probability of stratified care being cost-effective (vs stepped care) is greater than 50% if the willingness-to-pay (WTP) threshold is greater than £1320 ($1766.31) per additional case of reliable improvement (dashed lines). GBP indicates pound sterling currency.
Figure 3. Cost-effectiveness Acceptability Curve Probability of stratified care being cost-effective (vs stepped care) is greater than 50% if the willingness-to-pay (WTP) threshold is greater than £1320 ($1766.31) per additional case of reliable improvement (dashed lines). GBP indicates pound sterling currency.CC BY · PubMed Central

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Research works printed but not linked: 1

  1. Richards, 2011, Reach Out: National Programme Educator Materials to Support the Delivery of Training for Psychological Wellbeing Practitioners Delivering Low Intensity Interventions.

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Metadata

Authors
Delgadillo, J., Ali, S., Fleck, K., Agnew, C., Southgate, A., Parkhouse, L., Cohen, Z. D., DeRubeis, R. J., & Barkham, M.
Affiliations
  • Humber Teaching NHS Foundation Trust (GB)
  • Western University (CA)
  • Lancashire Care NHS Foundation Trust (GB)
  • University of California, Los Angeles (US)
  • University of Pennsylvania (US)
  • University of Sheffield (GB)
Corresponding author
Delgadillo, Jaime
Venue
JAMA Psychiatry
Published
2022-02-01
Volume
79
Issue
2
Pages
101
ISSN
2168-622X (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W4200371774
Cited by
194
References
26
Citations by year
2026: 45 · 2025: 48 · 2024: 43 · 2023: 37 · 2022: 20
FWCI
22.30
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
cc-by
Locations
  • JAMA Psychiatry (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • White Rose Research Online (University of Leeds, The University of Sheffield, University of York) (acceptedVersion)
  • Scholarship@Western (Western University) (submittedVersion)
  • Research Portal (King's College London) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
Funders
National Institute for Health and Care Research (28/05/18)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Applied Psychology › Digital Mental Health Interventions
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Mental Health Treatment and Access
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Anxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes
Keywords
depression, stratified care, stepped care, treatment selection, personalized treatment recommendations, machine learning algorithms, guided self-help, psychotherapy, common mental disorders, cost-effectiveness, clinical effectiveness, National Health Service
MeSH terms
Distance Counseling, Adult, Depression, Female, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Psychotherapy, Surveys and Questionnaires, Self Care, Treatment Outcome, Young Adult, Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing

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