By Matt Kuhrt
When it comes to treatment for depression, patients often feel as though their care providers place less weight on the cost of a course of treatment than they do, suggest results of a study published in BMJ Open.
This phenomenon does not appear to be caused by a lack of compassion or interest on the part of doctors, however, according to a Medical Daily article on the study. "Many healthcare providers realize that their patients want to know how much a particular treatment costs and if insurance will cover it," said Paul Barr, M.D., associate professor at Dartmouth College's Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice.
The study's authors believe limitations on the length of time doctors have with their patients and the potentially sensitive nature of conversations about what patients can afford are the main culprits, along with a tendency for clinicians to believe treatment decisions ought to be made based on need, rather than affordability.
Medical practices are increasingly recognizing and surmounting barriers to patient-centered care, as FiercePracticeManagement has previously reported. However, the BMJ study found a high rate of shared decision-making among just 18 percent of patients with depression, compared with around 70 percent for other conditions.
That depression should be lagging the field this significantly is particularly distressing because, as Medical Daily notes, patients undergoing treatment for depression do better when they receive treatments they like. With new options on the table such as telemental health treatments, which can be effective both clinically and financially, there's hope that improved patient-provider communication can turn the situation around.
The study's authors hope to encourage this through the development of customized "decision support intervention tools."
To learn more:
- check out the study in BMJ Open
- read the Medical Daily story