Symptom management is critical to maintain quality of life in those with life limiting conditions. Stepped collaborative care interventions have been widely employed in the primary care setting for the treatment of depression and more recently have been utilized to treat other symptoms (e.g., pain) in a variety of settings. A recent meta-analyses concluded that collaborative care interventions were superior to usual care and are more cost-effective than face to face and pharmacological treatment for depression. Collaborative care interventions have begun to be extended to other settings but have not been tested in patients who are being treated with dialysis. The aims of the present study were to pilot test the efficacy of a collaborative care intervention in patients awaiting kidney transplant to reduce symptoms of depression, pain, fatigue and improve quality of life.
