Study: Lack of Communication Can Hinder Depression Treatment

Body

Read the full story, published by The Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy & Clinical Practice.

The 15 million Americans who seek treatment for depression each year may not always get all the information they need from clinicians, according to a new study by researchers at The Dartmouth Institute.

Patients and doctors agree that the most important factor is the effectiveness of a treatment. But, the researchers found, there often is a lack of communication about other information that patients consider essential.

Image removed.Paul Barr (Photo by Aaron Adler)

“While consumers place a high priority on cost and insurance information, clinicians do not always prioritize this as highly,” says Paul Barr, an assistant professor at The Dartmouth Institute. “Although many health care providers realize that their patients want to know how much a particular treatment costs and if insurance will cover it, they don’t seem to cover these topics with their patients.”

The study, published online by BMJ Open, surveyed about 1,000 Americans who had sought treatment for depression, as well as 250 clinicians who had treated depression.

Office of Communications