Telepsychiatry to Improve the Management of Adolescent Depression in Primary Care

Background: Depression is common in adolescents and it is associated with serious consequences. In Chile, primary care team has a leading role in the management of depression in adolescents. Nevertheless, the majority of primary care professionals report not feeling adequately prepared to take on this responsibility and having difficulties referring patients to specialists. This situation is particularity complex in regions far away from the central zone. Telepsychiatry is a potential solution to an equitable access to specialized clinical expertise. Purpose: The purpose of this study is to determine whether a telepsychiatry-based collaborative program is effective to improve the management of depression in adolescents between 13 and 19 years of age in 16 primary care clinics in the Araucanía Region, Chile. Study design: A cluster-randomized clinical trial will be carried out with 237 adolescents. The efficacy, adherence, and acceptability of the telepsychiatry-based collaborative program will be evaluated.