Outcomes for collaborative care versus routine care in the management of postpartum depression.

Background: Even with routine screening, women diagnosed with postpartum depression (PPD) often experience delays in treatment with consequences affecting mother, infant, families and communities. A collaborative care management (CCM) approach may provide more timely, effective and higher quality of care for women suffering from postpartum depression.

Aims: This study compared the outcomes of women diagnosed with depression within a year of giving birth, comparing management using a collaborative care model with routine primary care.

Improving patient-centered care: agenda-setting in occupational medicine.

Objective: To improve patient satisfaction with care at an occupational medicine clinic by promoting agenda-setting before the visit.

Methods: We distributed agenda-setting form to 77 randomly selected patients attending an occupational health clinic and used another randomly selected sample of 36 patients as control group. Patients completed a survey regarding the acceptability of this procedure and whether they felt clinicians addressed their important concerns.