Trial reportBMC psychiatry2017
Task shifting interpersonal counseling for depression: a pragmatic randomized controlled trial in primary care.
Trial report in BMC psychiatry, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 17 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
17 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 39 citations in OpenAlex.
- Integrating Depression and Alcohol Use Care Into Primary Care in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: A Meta-Analysis.Psychiatric services (Washington, D.C.) · 2023Pooled it
- Barriers and facilitators to implementation of evidence-based task-sharing mental health interventions in low- and middle-income countries: a systematic review using implementation science frameworks.Implementation science : IS · 2022Pooled it
- Primary-level worker interventions for the care of people living with mental disorders and distress in low- and middle-income countries.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2021Pooled it
- Acceptability and fidelity of a psychosocial intervention (PROACTIVE) for older adults with depression in a basic health unit in São Paulo, Brazil: a qualitative study.BMC public health · 2021Trial
- Clinical Supervision Models for Non-specialist Providers Delivering Psychotherapy: A Qualitative Analysis.Administration and policy in mental health · 2025Article
- Barriers and Facilitators to Integrating Depression Treatment Within a TB Program and Primary Care in Brazil.Health promotion practice · 2024Article
- Looking at Global Mental Health Models to Prevent Youth Suicide in the United States.The Journal of adolescent health : official publication of the Society for Adolescent Medicine · 2024Article
- Task Sharing and Remote Delivery of Brief Interpersonal Counseling for Venezuelan Migrants and Refugees Living in Peru during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Mixed-Methods Pilot Study.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2024Article
- Interpersonal counseling versus active listening in the treatment of mild depression: a randomized controlled trial.Journal of physical therapy science · 2023Article
- Psychotherapy in Psychiatry.Canadian journal of psychiatry. Revue canadienne de psychiatrie · 2021Article
- The distinctive roles of urban community health workers in low- and middle-income countries: a scoping review of the literature.Health policy and planning · 2020Article
- Evaluating the effect of village health workers on hospital admission rates and their economic impact in the Kingdom of Bhutan.BMC public health · 2020Article
- Is supported self-management for depression effective for adults in community-based settings in Vietnam?: a modified stepped-wedge cluster randomized controlled trial.International journal of mental health systems · 2020Article
- Variations in Costs of a Collaborative Care Model for Dementia.Journal of the American Geriatrics Society · 2019Article
- Psychological Treatment of Depression in Primary Care: Recent Developments.Current psychiatry reports · 2019Review
- Use of a Mobile Phone App to Treat Depression Comorbid With Hypertension or Diabetes: A Pilot Study in Brazil and Peru.JMIR mental health · 2019Article
- Participants' perceptions of interactions with community health workers who promote behavior change: a qualitative characterization from participants with normal, depressive and anxious mood states.International journal for equity in health · 2018Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
8 authors at 4 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundTask shifting approaches (rational redistribution of tasks among health workforce teams) to train lay professionals to assist with integrating mental health treatment in primary care has been recommended to close the mental health treatment gap for depression in low- and middle-income countries. This study aims to examine the a new model for depression care in a low-resource environment compared to enhanced treatment at usual (E-TAU).
methodsWe trained non-specialist community health workers (local lay employees of the public health system) to provide Interpersonal Counseling (IPC) to treat depressive symptoms in the Brazilian, São Paulo city, family health strategy (FHS). We conducted a randomized controlled trial involving 86 patients with a current major depressive disorder or dysthymia (based on DSM-IV) recruited from an FHS clinic. Participants were randomized to IPC intervention (n = 43) or E-TAU (n = 43). Participants allocated to IPC received 3-4 sessions provided by community health workers; research psychologists followed the E-TAU participants to facilitate their referral to specialized mental health care within the public system. Reduction of depressive symptoms was assessed using the Hamilton Rating Scale (HDRS-17) and the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9); minor psychiatric symptomatology (including depression, anxiety and somatoform symptoms) were measured using the Self Reporting Questionnaire (SRQ); and functioning was measured by the Clinical Global Impression Scale over a 2-month period.
resultsIntention-to-treat analysis showed significant improvement on symptoms for both groups over 2 months, without significant differences between them. Per-protocol analysis showed significant better HDRS-17 outcomes for the IPC group.
conclusionsTraining non-specialist community health workers in low- and middle-income countries to provide IPC could be a successful strategy in reducing the burden of depression and also potentially a low-cost and effective alternative to specialist-led services that might not be possible in low income settings.
trial registrationBrazilian Clinical Trials, number RBR-5qhmb5 (trial url: http://www.ensaiosclinicos.gov.br/rg/RBR-5qhmb5/) , retrospectively registered after May 1, 2013.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.