Collaborative Care for PTSD: a Systematic Review and Meta-analysis
Abstract
Collaborative care is a model of care developed to treat common mental disorders, such as PTSD, in primary care. Objectives: conduct a meta-analysis to assess the effectiveness of collaborative care in treating PTSD and depression, as compared to usual care. Methods: Seven databases were searched for qualifying studies. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that compared collaborative care to usual care and reported PTSD outcomes continuous scales were included. Meta-analyses were conducted for PTSD and depression symptoms among people with PTSD. Results: 12 studies were included. Collaborative care was more effective than usual care at improving both PTSD (SMD= – 0.15; 95% CI: –0.31, –0.01), and depression (SMD= –0.16; 95% CI: –0.30, –0.03). Conclusion: Although a statistically significant difference between collaborative care and usual care was indicated, the difference was small and not necessarily clinically significant. More research is needed on the various components of collaborative care and how implementation of the model affects outcomes.