Development and feasibility of a nurse administered strategy on depression in community-dwelling patients with a chronic physical disease

Abstract

This contribution reports on the acceptability and feasibility to nurses and patients of an intervention to ameliorate minor depression among patients with chronic physical diseases. Elderly patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and type II Diabetes Mellitus were recruited from 10 general practices. All eligible patients were screened. Twenty-nine patients with minor depression gave their informed consent to participate in this feasibility study. The nurses spent an average of 70 min per visit. Our intervention appeared feasible and acceptable to patients and nurses. For the nurses, it provided an additional tool for a well-known problem. The majority of the patients regarded the intervention as worthwhile and effective. Patients had difficulties in understanding the link between physical complaints and symptoms of depression. The intervention has been further improved on the basis of our experiences, and is now ready to be tested in an effectiveness study.