Shared decision-making in the primary care treatment of late-life major depression: a needed new intervention?

Abstract

Objective: We suggest that clinicians consider models of shared decision-making (SDM) for their potential ability to improve the treatment of major depression in the primary care setting and overcome limitations of collaborative care and other interventions.

Methods: We explore the characteristics and techniques of patient-clinician SDM, with particular emphasis on this model's relevance to the unique treatment concerns of depressed older adults.

Results: We describe a SDM intervention to engage older adults in depression treatment in the primary care sector.

Conclusions: It is timely to examine SDM models for elderly depressed primary care patients given their potential ability to improve treatment adherence and clinical outcomes.