Models for Primary Care and Mental Health Collaboration in the Care of People with Depression: Main Results and Methodological Challenges of a Systematic Overview

Background: Weaknesses in the collaboration between Primary Care (PC) and Mental Health (MH) are a relevant problem in the care of depressed patients. It is necessary to analyse and appraise the existing models of collaboration to assess their applicability to the Spanish Health System. The aim of this study is to know the main characteristics of the different models of collaboration between PC and MH in the care of patients with depression and the quality of their effectiveness evidence. Methods: Systematic overview of secondary studies published from 2001 to 2010 in MEDLINE, PsycINFO, Embase, LILACS, IBECS, IME and The Cochrane Library. Assessment of reviews applying the AMSTAR tool. Approximative synthesis of the quality of evidences. Results: A total of 69 studies were assessed. Quality of evidences is generally low or inconclusive due to the great variability among contexts and the methodological weaknesses. The most effective strategies integrate interventions for assigning responsibility for patient follow-up, redesigning management and communication/information sharing. Overviews of secondary studies on collaborative models facilitate access to published evidence, but entail important methodological challenges. Conclusion: The quality of evidences on effectiveness of PC-MH collaboration models in depression care is mainly low or inconclusive, and the more simplified are the analysis of components, processes and implementation conditions, the less meaningful and applicable they are.