How much change is enough? Evidence from a longitudinal study on depression in UK primary care.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II) and the Generalised Anxiety Disorder Assessment (GAD-7) are widely used in the evaluation of interventions for depression and anxiety. The smallest reduction in depressive symptoms that matter to patients is known as the Minimum Clinically Important Difference (MCID). Little empirical study of the MCID for these scales exists.

Methods

A prospective cohort of 400 patients in UK primary care were interviewed on four occasions, 2 weeks apart. At each time point, participants completed all three questionnaires and a 'global rating of change' scale (GRS). MCID estimation relied on estimated changes in symptoms according to reported improvement on the GRS scale, stratified by baseline sever

SUBMITTER: Kounali D 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9340848 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature