PlatformQ Health Education, in joint providership with the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP), announces the first of two online educational programs on shared decision making in major depressive disorder (MDD) treatment. Major depressive disorder (MDD) has substantial negative effects on patients’ functional abilities and quality of life. This tethered, or mutual, education will focus on strengthening the therapeutic alliance between clinicians and patients and promote a cooperative, team-based approach to MDD management.

Shared Decision-Making in Major Depressive Disorder for Health Care Providers will air live online December 13, 2017 on PlatformQ Health’s mental health education channel, PsychiatryCareLive.com and provide HCPs AAFP-Prescribed credit and AMA PRA Category 1 CreditTM. Faculty include Margaret L. Smith, MD, Assistant Professor, Department of Family Medicine, University of Kansas and Tonya L. Fancher, MD, MPH, Associate Professor, Department of Internal Medicine, University of California at Davis. The second program, for patients/caregivers with MDD, will air in 2018.

The HCP program will include discussions on empathizing with patients and caregivers, considering clinical as well as patient factors in treatment planning, managing treatment effects and promoting adherence, equipping participants to:

• Recognize the full symptomatic and functional burden that MDD places on patients, improving the abilities to communicate with patients from a position of greater empathy and strengthening the therapeutic alliance
• Use a shared decision making approach to MDD treatment selection, taking into account the clinical characteristics of current pharmacologic therapies for MDD, including efficacy, tolerability, and practical considerations of importance to patients
• Apply the principles of shared decision making to assessing, monitoring, and maintaining patient adherence with pharmacologic therapy for MDD, by enhancing patient understanding of the treatment process and fostering a team-based approach to shared treatment goals

Shared decision making has been shown to improve patients’ engagement with MDD care, fostering a team-based approach that includes mutually agreed upon treatment goals and improves treatment outcomes. In order for this to be successful, both clinicians and patients must have an appropriate level of knowledge of available treatment options, as well as an understanding of their respective roles and responsibilities in the process.

“We’re pleased to present this series of educational programs with AAFP to help improve the health of patients, families and communities by providing clinicians and patients with innovative, effective education. Combining and aligning outcomes-centric education programming improves patient-clinician dialogue and understanding in this complex disease, and it’s an important step in our larger goal of getting the appropriate medical education to the right audiences across the country.”
– Robert Rosenbloom, PlatformQ Health CEO

Sharing similar themes found in the HCP education, the subsequent patient/caregiver activity, which will be available on PlatformQ Health’s patient education channel, NeuroCareLive.com, will describe principles of shared decision making and their role, working with their HCP to select treatment options, have realistic expectations and promoting adherence.