PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Helen Lester
AU  - Nick Freemantle
AU  - Sue Wilson
AU  - Helen Sorohan
AU  - Elizabeth England
AU  - Carl Griffin
AU  - Aparna Shankar
TI  - Cluster randomised controlled trial of the effectiveness of primary care mental health workers
DP  - 2007 Mar 01
TA  - British Journal of General Practice
PG  - 196--203
VI  - 57
IP  - 536
4099  - http://bjgp.org/content/57/536/196.short
4100  - http://bjgp.org/content/57/536/196.full
SO  - Br J Gen Pract2007 Mar 01; 57
AB  - Background Mental health issues are a core part of the work of primary care and are the second most common reason for consultations. There is some evidence that the quality of primary care mental health provision is variable.Aim To evaluate the effectiveness of primary care mental health workers with regards to satisfaction with care, mental health symptoms, use of the voluntary sector, and cost effectiveness of care.Design of study Cluster randomised controlled trial.Setting Practices in the Heart of Birmingham Primary Care Trust, Birmingham, England.Method Nineteen practices and 368 patients (18 to 65 years of age) with a diagnosis of a new or ongoing common mental health problem were recruited. Sixteen practices and 284 patients completed the trial.Results Patients in intervention practices had a higher mean level of general satisfaction than those in control practices (difference between group scores of 8.3, 95% confidence interval = 1.3 to 15.3, P = 0.023). The two groups did not differ in mental health symptom scores or use of the voluntary sector.Conclusion For patients with common mental health problems, primary care mental health workers may be effective at increasing satisfaction with an episode of care.