Depressive primary care patients’ assessment of received collaborative care

The “Patient Assessment of Chronic Illness Care” (PACIC) is a tool for evaluating outpatient health service for patients with chronic diseases. Our aim was to analyze the association between PACIC scores of primary care patients with depression and patients’ or patients’ general practitioners’ (GPs) characteristics. In a data set including depressive primary care patients (N = 280) the association of patient characteristics (sex, age, depressive symptom severity, suicidal ideation) with PACIC scores were assessed by linear regression models. The association between GPs’ characteristics (type, location of practice; age, qualification of practitioner) and PACIC scores was assessed by linear mixed models with individual practices as random effects. Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) scores at 12 months follow up and changes in PHQ-9 scores from baseline to follow up were significantly positive associated with higher PACIC scores (beta = 0.67, 95%-CI [0.02, 1.34]). PACIC scores were not associated with patients’ sex (p = 0.473) or age (p = 0.531). GP’s age was negatively associated with PACIC scores (p = 0.03). In conclusion, in patients with depression, the PACIC is independent from patients’ and GPs’ characteristics. The PACIC may be appropriate to assess patient-perspective on depression services in primary care.