The clinical effectiveness, cost-effectiveness and acceptability of community-based interventions aimed at improving or maintaining quality of life in children of parents with serious mental illness: a systematic review.

Background: Serious parental mental illness poses a challenge to quality of life (QoL) in a substantial number of children and adolescents. Improving the lives of these children is a political and public health concern.

Objectives: To conduct an evidence synthesis of the clinical effectiveness, cost-effectiveness and acceptability of community-based interventions for improving QoL in children of parents with serious mental illness (SMI).

Barriers to recruiting ethnic minorities to mental health research: a systematic review.

Disparities in the prevalence of mental illness are widely reported for people from ethnic minorities. Unlike the United States, there is no legislation for clinical research in the UK to mandate the inclusion of ethnic minorities and they are underrepresented in European trials compared with those conducted in the United States. This restricts generalization of research findings.

Qualitative meta-synthesis of user experience of computerised therapy for depression and anxiety.

Objective: Computerised therapies play an integral role in efforts to improve access to psychological treatment for patients with depression and anxiety. However, despite recognised problems with uptake, there has been a lack of investigation into the barriers and facilitators of engagement. We aimed to systematically review and synthesise findings from qualitative studies of computerised therapies, in order to identify factors impacting on engagement.

Development of a multimorbidity illness perceptions scale (MULTIPleS).

Background: Illness perceptions are beliefs about the cause, nature and management of illness, which enable patients to make sense of their conditions. These perceptions can predict adjustment and quality of life in patients with single conditions. However, multimorbidity (i.

Telephone based self-management support by 'lay health workers' and 'peer support workers' to prevent and manage vascular diseases: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Improved prevention and management of vascular disease is a global priority. Non-health care professionals (such as, 'lay health workers' and 'peer support workers') are increasingly being used to offer telephone support alongside that offered by conventional services, to reach disadvantaged populations and to provide more efficient delivery of care. However, questions remain over the impact of such interventions, particularly on a wider range of vascular related conditions (such as, chronic kidney disease), and it is unclear how different types of telephone support impact on outcome.

The effect of telecare on the quality of life and psychological well-being of elderly recipients of social care over a 12-month period: the Whole Systems Demonstrator cluster randomised trial.

Background: home-based telecare (TC) is utilised to manage risks of independent living and provide prompt emergency responses. This study examined the effect of TC on health-related quality of life (HRQoL), anxiety and depressive symptoms over 12 months in patients receiving social care.

Design: a study of participant-reported outcomes [the Whole Systems Demonstrator (WSD) Telecare Questionnaire Study; baseline n = 1,189] was nested in a pragmatic cluster-randomised trial of TC (the WSD Telecare trial), held across three English Local Authorities.

Multimorbidity and delivery of care for long-term conditions in the English National Health Service: baseline data from a cohort study.

Objectives: Many patients with long-term conditions have multiple conditions. Current delivery of care is not designed around their needs and they may face barriers to effective self-management. This study assessed the relationships between multimorbidity, the delivery of care, and self-management.

A systematic review of predictors and moderators of response to psychological therapies in OCD: do we have enough empirical evidence to target treatment?

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a disabling mental health condition. Despite effective psychological treatments for OCD, a significant percentage of patients fail to experience lasting benefit. Factors underlying variable treatment response are poorly understood.

Clinical effectiveness of collaborative care for depression in UK primary care (CADET): cluster randomised controlled trial.

Objective: To compare the clinical effectiveness of collaborative care with usual care in the management of patients with moderate to severe depression.

Design: Cluster randomised controlled trial.

Setting: 51 primary care practices in three primary care districts in the United Kingdom.

Interventions for common perinatal mental disorders in women in low- and middle-income countries: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Objective: To assess the effectiveness of interventions to improve the mental health of women in the perinatal period and to evaluate any effect on the health, growth and development of their offspring, in low- and middle-income (LAMI) countries.

Methods: Seven electronic bibliographic databases were systematically searched for papers published up to May 2012 describing controlled trials of interventions designed to improve mental health outcomes in women who were pregnant or had recently given birth. The main outcomes of interest were rates of common perinatal mental disorders (CPMDs), primarily postpartum depression or anxiety; measures of the quality of the mother-infant relationship; and measures of infant or child health, growth and cognitive development.

Patient empowerment in long-term conditions: development and preliminary testing of a new measure.

Background: Patient empowerment is viewed by policy makers and health care practitioners as a mechanism to help patients with long-term conditions better manage their health and achieve better outcomes. However, assessing the role of empowerment is dependent on effective measures of empowerment. Although many measures of empowerment exist, no measure has been developed specifically for patients with long-term conditions in the primary care setting.

Implementation of self management support for long term conditions in routine primary care settings: cluster randomised controlled trial.

Objective: To determine the effectiveness of an intervention to enhance self management support for patients with chronic conditions in UK primary care.

Design: Pragmatic, two arm, cluster randomised controlled trial.

Setting: General practices, serving a population in northwest England with high levels of deprivation.

Update on the collaborative interventions for circulation and depression (COINCIDE) trial: changes to planned methodology of a cluster randomized controlled trial of collaborative care for depression in people with diabetes and/or coronary heart disease.

Background: The COINCIDE trial aims to evaluate the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of a collaborative care intervention for depression in people with diabetes and/or coronary heart disease attending English general practices.

Design: This update details changes to the cluster and patient recruitment strategy for the COINCIDE study. The original protocol was published in Trials (http://www.

The effect of complex interventions on depression and anxiety in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Depression and anxiety are very common in people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and are associated with excess morbidity and mortality. Patients prefer non-drug treatments and clinical guidelines promote non-pharmacological interventions as first line therapy for depression and anxiety in people with long term conditions. However the comparative effectiveness of psychological and lifestyle interventions among COPD patients is not known.

Evaluation of a mental health training intervention for multidisciplinary teams in primary care in Brazil: a pre- and posttest study.

Objectives: The aim of this research was to investigate whether a training intervention to enhance collaboration between mental health and primary care professionals improved the detection and management of mental health problems in primary health care in four large cities in Brazil. The training intervention was a multifaceted program over 96 h focused on development of a shared care model.

Method: A quasiexperimental study design was undertaken with assessment of performance by nurse and general practitioners (GPs) pre- and postintervention.

Cost effectiveness of telehealth for patients with long term conditions (Whole Systems Demonstrator telehealth questionnaire study): nested economic evaluation in a pragmatic, cluster randomised controlled trial.

Objective: To examine the costs and cost effectiveness of telehealth in addition to standard support and treatment, compared with standard support and treatment.

Design: Economic evaluation nested in a pragmatic, cluster randomised controlled trial.

Setting: Community based telehealth intervention in three local authority areas in England.

Effect of telehealth on quality of life and psychological outcomes over 12 months (Whole Systems Demonstrator telehealth questionnaire study): nested study of patient reported outcomes in a pragmatic, cluster randomised controlled trial.

Objective: To assess the effect of second generation, home based telehealth on health related quality of life, anxiety, and depressive symptoms over 12 months in patients with long term conditions.

Design: A study of patient reported outcomes (the Whole Systems Demonstrator telehealth questionnaire study; baseline n=1573) was nested in a pragmatic, cluster randomised trial of telehealth (the Whole Systems Demonstrator telehealth trial, n=3230). General practice was the unit of randomisation, and telehealth was compared with usual care.

Influence of initial severity of depression on effectiveness of low intensity interventions: meta-analysis of individual patient data.

Objective: To assess how initial severity of depression affects the benefit derived from low intensity interventions for depression.

Design: Meta-analysis of individual patient data from 16 datasets comparing low intensity interventions with usual care.

Setting: Primary care and community settings.

Antenatal interventions for reducing weight in obese women for improving pregnancy outcome.

Background: Being obese and pregnant is associated with substantial risks for the mother and her child. Current weight management guidance for obese pregnant women is limited. The latest recommendations suggest that obese pregnant women should gain between 5.

The European General Practice Research Network presents a comprehensive definition of multimorbidity in family medicine and long term care, following a systematic review of relevant literature.

Background: Multimorbidity is a new concept encompassing all the medical conditions of an individual patient. The concept links into the European definition of family medicine and its core competencies. However, the definition of multimorbidity and its subsequent operationalization are still unclear.

The clinical and cost-effectiveness of the BRinging Information and Guided Help Together (BRIGHT) intervention for the self-management support of people with stage 3 chronic kidney disease in primary care: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

Background: Improving the quality of care for people with vascular disease is a key priority. Chronic kidney disease (CKD) has recently been included as a target condition for general practices to add to registers of chronic conditions as part of the Quality and Outcome Framework. This paper outlines the implementation and evaluation of a self-management intervention involving an information guidebook, tailored access to local resources and telephone support for people with stage 3 chronic kidney disease.

Characteristics of psychological interventions that improve depression in people with coronary heart disease: a systematic review and meta-regression.

Objective: Despite previous intervention trials, it is unclear which psychological treatments are most effective for people with coronary heart disease (CHD). We have conducted a systematic review with meta-regression to identify the characteristics of psychological interventions that improve depression and depressive symptoms among people with CHD.

Methods: Searches of multiple electronic databases up to March 2012 were conducted, supplemented by hand-searching of identified reviews and citation tracing of eligible studies.

Primary care practitioner and patient understanding of the concepts of multimorbidity and self-management: A qualitative study.

Objectives: The aim of this article is to offer insight into how professionals and patients understand and experience multimorbidity and how these accounts differ, and how they affect attitudes and engagement with self-management.

Methods: Semi-structured interviews with 20 primary healthcare practitioners and 20 patients with at least 2 long-term conditions (including coronary heart disease, diabetes, osteoarthritis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and depression). Thematic analysis was used, and themes were identified using an open-coding method.

Exploring patient priorities among long-term conditions in multimorbidity: A qualitative secondary analysis.

Objective: A lack of agreement between health-care providers and patient priorities can impact the health-care provider-patient relationship, treatment concordance and potentially health outcomes. Evidence suggests that people living with multiple morbidities do prioritise among their long-term conditions. However, the evidence revealing the underlying reasons behind this prioritisation remains limited.