The following is a summary of the “Systematic review of structured care pathways in major depressive disorder and bipolar disorder,” published in the February 2023 issue of Psychiatry by Kim, et al.
Remission or response is the ultimate goal of structured care pathways (SCPs), which are therapy algorithms patients progress through. Patients suffering from mood disorders may benefit from using these SCPs since they make it easier to apply the best available evidence and provide effective treatment. This review aimed to offer a current synopsis of SCPs used to treat mood disorders like depression and bipolar disorder (BD). They searched PubMed, PsycINFO, and Embase for scholarly articles published through June 2022 that analyzed the results of SCPs.
Quantitative results from the SCP intervention were required, as was the publication in an English-language, peer-reviewed journal. RCT quality was evaluated using the Cochrane risk of bias tool. Around 36 studies with 15,032 patients were located for qualitative synthesis. Patients with BD participated in 6 studies. The research varied greatly regarding methodology, metrics, and approaches. However, there is evidence from more than half of the studies indicating SCPs are more effective than regular care, and this could be due to the standardized structure and consistent monitoring that characterize SCPs.
Despite greater dropout rates, we discovered evidence that SCPs are feasible in various contexts. Only research that appeared in academic journals published in English was considered. The inability to quantitatively evaluate the situation is due to the diversity of the research itself. Their research suggests that SCPs are as effective as, if not more so, standard treatments for depression and BD. Further research is needed, especially for BD, to determine their efficacy and uncover the elements affecting their practicality and success.
Source: bmcpsychiatry.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12888-022-04379-z
