Project Collabri for Treatment of Anxiety

Background: Depression and anxiety are common diseases often treated in general practice. However, there are obstacles for optimal treatment e.g. a lack of continuity in disease management, organized collaboration between primary and secondary care and access to psychotherapy. Previous collaborative care studies have shown significant improvements in treatment outcomes for patients with depression and anxiety in primary care; however studies have yet not been carried out in a Danish context. Thus, the Collabri-model for collaborative care for panic disorder, generalized anxiety, social phobia and depression has been developed. The model includes: a multi-professional approach to treatment including a care manager (e.g. a psychiatric nurse), enhanced inter-professional communication, scheduled monitoring and review and structured treatment plans. Objective: To investigate whether treatment according to the Collabri-model have an effect on symptoms for people with anxiety disorders. Methods/design: Three cluster-randomized, clinical trials are set up to investigate treatment according to the Collabri-model compared to treatment as usual for 364 patients diagnosed with panic disorder, generalized anxiety and social phobia respectively from general practices in the Capital Region of Denmark. For all studies, the primary outcome is anxiety symptoms measured with Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) at 6 months. Results/discussion: The results will contribute new knowledge on collaborative care for depression and anxiety disorders in Danish conditions.