Video Consultation Model Aids Mental Health in Primary Care Patients

WEDNESDAY, Oct. 2, 2024 (HealthDay News) -- The PROVIDE model of video consultation leads to a decrease in depressive and anxiety symptoms among primary care patients, according to a study published online Sept. 25 in The BMJ.

Markus W. Haun, M.D., from Heidelberg University in Germany, and colleagues evaluated whether an integrated mental health video consultation approach (PROVIDE model) can improve symptoms compared to usual care in adults with depression and anxiety disorders attending primary care. The analysis included 376 adults (aged 18 to 81 years) randomly assigned to the PROVIDE model or usual care.

The researchers found that compared with usual care, the PROVIDE intervention led to improvements in severity of depressive and anxiety symptoms (adjusted mean change difference in the Patient Health Questionnaire Anxiety and Depression Scale score, −2.4 points) at six months. At 12 months, the effects were sustained (−2.9 points).

"Through relatively low intensity treatment, the PROVIDE model led to a decrease in depressive and anxiety symptoms with small effects in the short and long term," the authors write. "Depression and anxiety disorders are prevalent and therefore the small effect might cumulatively impact on population health in this population."

Abstract/Full Text