John Baker reports on Canadian study looking at prescriptions of off-label antidepressants in primary care, which concludes that when antidepressants were used outside of their licence, there was usually not strong evidence supporting the respective indication.
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This large trial investigated the use of a ‘preventive package’ of fluoride varnish, fluoride toothpaste, toothbrush and standard dental health education in children between 2-3 years attending general practice. The intervention did not keep young children caries free but did reduce caries levels.
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Linda Gask explores an RCT of physical exercise for depression in later life, which considers the best way to customise the intervention for primary care.
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Ben Hannigan summarises the new CASPER trial of collaborative care versus usual care for older adults with subthreshold depression.
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Pauline Heslop summarises a UK primary care study that shows how emergency hospital admissions for preventable conditions can be reduced in people with learning disabilities who receive annual health checks.
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Kirsten Lawson summarises the UPBEAT-UK programme of research into the relationship between coronary heart disease and depression and anxiety in primary care patients.
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Linda Gask writes her debut Mental Elf blog on a recent systematic review, which evaluates healthcare team training programs that aim to improve depression in primary care.
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Ioana Cristea appraises the recently published COBRA randomised controlled trial, which concludes that behavioural activation is non-inferior to cognitive behavioural therapy for depression, and may offer significant cost savings.
This blog also features a podcast interview with the lead author: Professor David Richards from Exeter University.
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Emily Stapley presents the findings of a trial which looks at the effectiveness of an integrated telehealth service for patients with depression.
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Ian Anderson on a recent diagnostic accuracy meta-analysis, which shows that the Whooley questions for depression are effective at ruling out the condition, but that false positives are common.
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