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Cited by 216Workplace Health and Well-beingMental Health Treatment and AccessHealth Systems, Economic Evaluations, Quality of Life

The Effect of Improving Primary Care Depression Management on Employee Absenteeism and Productivity: A Randomized Trial

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Rost, Kathryn, Smith, Jeffrey L., Dickinson, Miriam·2004·Medical Care
DOI 10.1097/00005650-200412000-00007PMC PMC1350979
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Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To test whether an intervention to improve primary care depression management significantly improves productivity at work and absenteeism over 2 years. SETTING AND SUBJECTS: Twelve community primary care practices recruiting depressed primary care patients identified in a previsit screening. RESEARCH DESIGN: Practices were stratified by depression treatment patterns before randomization to enhanced or usual care. After delivering brief training, enhanced care clinicians provided improved depression management over 24 months. The research team evaluated productivity and absenteeism at baseline, 6, 12, 18, and 24 months in 326 patients who reported full-or part-time work at one or more completed waves. RESULTS: Employed patients in the enhanced care condition reported 6.1% greater productivity and 22.8% less absenteeism over 2 years. Consistent with its impact on depression severity and emotional role functioning, intervention effects were more observable in consistently employed subjects where the intervention improved productivity by 8.2% over 2 years at an estimated annual value of US 1982 dollars per depressed full-time equivalent and reduced absenteeism by 28.4% or 12.3 days over 2 years at an estimated annual value of US 619 dollars per depressed full-time equivalent. CONCLUSIONS: This trial, which is the first to our knowledge to demonstrate that improving the quality of care for any chronic disease has positive consequences for productivity and absenteeism, encourages formal cost-benefit research to assess the potential return-on-investment employers of stable workforces can realize from using their purchasing power to encourage better depression treatment for their employees.

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  • Early recognition and treatment of depression can improve social function, increase productivity and decrease absenteeism in the workplace.

    “Thirdly, studies have demonstrated that early recognition and treatment of depression can improve social function, increase productivity and decrease absenteeism in the workplace [25].”

    From A pilot randomized controlled trial of a tailored cognitive behavioural therapy based intervention for depressive symptoms in those newly diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (2016) · cites this paper as [25]

    The Abstract and Results report that enhanced primary care depression management improved workplace productivity and reduced absenteeism among employed patients; the Results also report improved emotional role functioning. The paper does not establish that *early* recognition or treatment was responsible, and emotional role functioning is not the same as a demonstrated improvement in social functioning. (LLM, conf=0.86)

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Research works printed but not linked: 3

  1. [5]Greenberg PE, Kessler RC, Nells TL, et al. Depression in the workplace: an economic perspective. In: Feighner JP, Boyer WF, editors. Selective Serotonin Re-Uptake Inhibitors: Advances in Basic Research and Clinical Practice. John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.; Chichester, West Sussex, UK: 1996. [Google Scholar]
  2. [30]Lynch W, Reidel JE. Measuring Employee Productivity: A Guide to Self-Assessment Tools. Institute for Health and Productivity Management; Denver, CO: 2001. [Google Scholar]
  3. [46]Bureau of Labor Statistics National Compensation Survey: Occupational Wages in the United States, 2000. Summary. 2002:01–04. [Google Scholar]

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Authors
Rost, K., Smith, J. L., & Dickinson, M.
Affiliations
  • University of Colorado Health (US)
  • Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System (US)
Corresponding author
  • Rost, Kathryn
  • Dickinson, Miriam
ORCID
Smith, Jeffrey L.
Venue
Medical Care
Publisher
Ovid Technologies (Wolters Kluwer Health)
Published
2004-12
Volume
42
Issue
12
Pages
1202-1210
ISSN
0025-7079 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1097/00005650-200412000-00007
PMC
PMC1350979
OpenAlex
W2022997917
Cited by
215
References
45
Citations by year
2026: 3 · 2025: 7 · 2024: 5 · 2023: 2 · 2022: 9 · 2021: 7 · 2020: 4 · 2019: 8 · 2018: 14 · 2017: 11 · 2016: 5 · 2015: 7 · 2014: 9 · 2013: 13 · 2012: 11
FWCI
21.38
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Medical Care (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
Funders
National Institute of Mental Health (MH 63651, R01MH076277, K02MH063651, MH-54444, R01MH054444)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Health Professions › General Health Professions › Workplace Health and Well-being
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Mental Health Treatment and Access
  • Social Sciences › Economics, Econometrics and Finance › Economics and Econometrics › Health Systems, Economic Evaluations, Quality of Life
Keywords
depression treatment, primary care, absenteeism, labor productivity, quality of care, depression screening, clinician training, chronic care, emotional role functioning
MeSH terms
Absenteeism, Adult, Antidepressive Agents, Chronic Disease, Depressive Disorder, Efficiency, Employment, Female, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Primary Health Care, Quality Assurance, Health Care, Occupational Health, Treatment Outcome, Disease Management, Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders

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