Extrait

Background and study aims As the population ages, more and more people are suffering from long-term conditions (LTCs). Health services around the world are exploring new ways of supporting these people and there is great interest in the use of telehealth: technologies such as the internet, phone, text messaging and home self-monitoring. This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of a NHS Direct-delivered telehealth intervention to support patients with depression. Who can participate? Patients aged 18 and older will be recruited from 34 general practices near Bristol, Sheffield and Southampton. Patients will be identified using practice record searches or by direct referral by practice staff. To be eligible, patients need to have depression confirmed by assessment using a validated questionnaire, and must have access to a telephone, the internet and an email address for personal use. What does the study involve? Patients will complete further questionnaires, and then be randomly allocated to one of two groups. At 4, 8 and 12 months patients will be asked to complete more questionnaires. The two groups in the study are: 1. Usual care: care provided by GP or nurse at usual general practice as required. 2. Usual care plus NHS Direct Healthlines: usual care, plus extra support provided by NHS Direct by telephone, email and internet, including regular contact to provide advice and encouragement and access to tailored online resources. What are the possible benefits and risks of participating? The trial will be helpful in planning future services to be delivered by the NHS, which may benefit future patients. Participants may personally benefit from taking part by learning more about their own health, how to manage it, and having regularly scheduled health checks. As a result, their own health and well-being might improve. Participants in research have to give up some of their own time, which may not appeal to everyone. They may feel uncomfortable answering some questions over the phone. However, the depression screening questions are from a standard questionnaire, which is designed to collect information about symptoms rather than personal circumstances. Collecting this information is necessary for participation, but if this is too distressing, patients may ask us to phone on another occasion or can withdraw from the study. We do not anticipate any other risks associated with taking part in this study. Where is the study run from? The study is led by the University of Bristol, in collaboration with the Universities of Sheffield, Southampton and Manchester, and NHS Direct. When is the study starting and how long is it expected to run for? Recruiting patients to the trial starts in July 2012 and is expected to end in February 2013, with further follow-up of participants continuing until March 2014. Who is funding the study? National Institute of Health Research (NIHR) (UK) Who is the main contact? Chris Salisbury [email protected]

Critère d'inclusion

• Topic: Primary Care Research Network for England; Subtopic: Not Assigned; Disease: All Diseases

Liens

• ictrp
• isrctn