Mental Health Assessment, Care Coordination May Ease Cardiac Patients’ Mental Distress

MedPage Today (4/15, Phend) reports that research published online in JAMA Internal Medicine suggests that “mental health assessment and care coordination by a social worker eased anxiety and depression after hospitalization for heart disease.” Investigators found that “mental health-related quality of life improvements were twice those achieved with usual care in patients with depression, anxiety, or panic after a hospitalization for acute coronary syndrome, heart failure, or arrhythmia (11.21 versus 5.68 points on the SF-12 Mental Component Score at 24 weeks, P=0.002).” The study indicated that “overall health-related quality of life improved as well with the low-intensity collaborative care intervention (P=0.03 versus usual care).” The study included 183 patients.

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— “Cardiac Patients’ Mental Distress Eased With Care Coordination,”Crystal Phend, MedPage Today, April 14, 2014.

Posted in In The News.