A Pilot With Interactive Computer-assisted Screening for Mental Health in Primary Care (iCAS)

York University

Status: Completed

Conditions: Mental Health Disorders

Treatments: Behavioral: Interactive computer-assisted screening (iCAS)

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT02023957

e2013 - 291

Details and patient eligibility

About

The current protocol pertains to the evaluation of the interactive computer-assisted screening (iCAS) tool through a pilot randomized control trial. The purpose of this evaluation is to determine the efficacy of the iCAS tool in improving clinician's detection of common mental health conditions (i.e. major depression/generalized anxiety/post-traumatic stress disorder/alcohol dependence), and patients' discussion on mental health.

Full description

The iCAS tool is a health-risk assessment survey that is completed by adult patients using touch-screen iPad device in their waiting time before seeing their clinician (family physician or nurse practitioner). The computer program generates tailored risk-report for the clinician and a simple recommendation sheet for the patient, with community resources and health information, at the point of care. The iCAS tool currently includes validated screening scales for depression, generalized anxiety, posttraumatic stress disorder and alcohol abuse. There are some questions on the social determinants of mental health as well. The current versions of the tool are in English and Spanish; a Chinese language version will also be developed.

Enrollment: 154 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18+ years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• At least 18 years of age
• Speak/read Spanish
• Speak/read English
• Visiting the consenting clinician

Exclusion criteria

• Patient accompanied by a family member for interpretation
• New patients coming for first visit
• Patients feeling unwell (self-report)
• Inability of the research staff to offer study details in privacy

Trial design

Primary purpose: Health Services Research

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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154 participants in 2 patient groups

Interactive computer-assisted screening

Experimental group

Description:

Eligible patients completed the interactive computer-assisted screening (iCAS) tool in English or Spanish before seeing the consenting clinician. Participating patients then received the iCAS generated tailored recommendation sheet. Participating clinicians received the iCAS generated risk report.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Interactive computer-assisted screening (iCAS)

Usual Care

No Intervention group

Description:

Eligible patients randomized to the control group completed their standard visit to the participating clinician. There was no pre-visit health risk screening. There were no tailored reports for the patients or clinicians.