Tai-Seale M, Kunik ME, Shepherd A, Kirchner J, Gottumukkala A., Popul Health Manag. 13(6):331-7. doi: 10.1089/pop.2009.0082. Epub 2010 Nov 19., 2010 Dec 01
Abstract
Primary care remains critically important for
those who suffer from mental disorders. Although collaborative
care, which integrates mental health
services into primary care, has been shown to be more
effective than usual care, its implementation
has been slow and the experience of providers and patients
with collaborative care
is less well known.
The objective of this case
study was to examine the effects of collaborative
care on patient and primary care
provider (PCP) experiences and communication during clinical encounters. Participating
physicians completed a self-administered visit reconstruction questionnaire in which
they logged details of patient visits and described their perceptions of the visits
and the influence of collaborative care.
Audio recordings of visits were analyzed to assess the extent of discussion about
colocated mental health services and visit time devoted
to mental health topics.
The main outcome
measures were the extent of discussion and recommendation for collaborative
care during clinical visits and providers' experiences
based on their responses to the visit reconstruction questionnaire. Providers surveyed
expressed enthusiasm about collaborative care
and cited the time constraint of office visits and lack of specialty support as the
main reasons for limiting their discussion of mental health
topics with patients.
Despite the availability of mental health
providers at the same clinic, PCPs missed many opportunities to address mental health issues with their patients. Ongoing education for
PCPs regarding how to conduct a "warm handoff" to colocated providers will need to
be an integral part of the implementation of collaborative care.