Debt Counselling for Depression in Primary Care: an adaptive randomised controlled pilot trial (DeCoDer study)

Gabbay M B, Ring A, Byng R, Anderson P, Taylor R S, Matthews C, Harris T, Berry V, Byrne P, Carter E, Clarke P, Cocking L, Edwards S, Emsley R, Fornasiero M, Frith L, Harris S, Huxley P, Jones S, Kinderman P, King M, Kosnes L, Marshall D, Mercer D, May C, Nolan D, Phillips C, Rawcliffe T, Sardani A V, Shaw E, Thompson S, Vickery J, Wainman B & Warner M
Record ID 32014000443
English
Authors' objectives: Depression and debt are common in the UK. Debt Counselling for Depression in Primary Care: an adaptive randomised controlled pilot trial (DeCoDer) aimed to assess the clinical effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of the addition of a primary care debt counselling advice service to usual care for patients with depression and debt. However, the study was terminated early during the internal pilot trial phase because of recruitment delays. This report describes the rationale, methods and findings of the pilot study, and implications for future research. The overarching aim of the internal pilot was to identify and resolve problems, thereby assessing the feasibility of the main trial. The specific objectives were to confirm methods for practice recruitment and the ability to recruit patients via the proposed approaches; to determine the acceptability of the study interventions and outcome measures; to assess contamination; to confirm the randomisation method for main trial and the level of participant attrition; and to check the robustness of data collection systems.
Authors' recommendations: As a result of low recruitment, this trial was terminated at the internal pilot phase and was too small for inferential statistical analysis. We recommend ways to reduce this risk when conducting complex trials among vulnerable populations recruited in community settings. These cover trial design, the design and delivery of interventions, recruitment strategies and support for sites.
Details
Project Status: Completed
URL for project: https://www.journalslibrary.nihr.ac.uk/programmes/hta/1114801#/
Year Published: 2017
URL for published report: https://www.journalslibrary.nihr.ac.uk/hta/hta21350/#/abstract
English language abstract: An English language summary is available
Publication Type: Not Assigned
Country: England, United Kingdom
MeSH Terms
  • Counseling
  • Poverty
  • Income
Contact
Organisation Name: NIHR Health Technology Assessment programme
Contact Address: NIHR Journals Library, National Institute for Health and Care Research, Evaluation, Trials and Studies Coordinating Centre, Alpha House, University of Southampton Science Park, Southampton SO16 7NS, UK
Contact Name: journals.library@nihr.ac.uk
Contact Email: journals.library@nihr.ac.uk
Copyright: Queen's Printer and Controller of HMSO
This is a bibliographic record of a published health technology assessment from a member of INAHTA or other HTA producer. No evaluation of the quality of this assessment has been made for the HTA database.