Background: Stepped care models comprise a graded treatment intensity and a systematic monitoring. For an effective implementation, stepped care models have to account for the high rates of mental and somatic comorbidity in primary care.
Objectives: The aim of the systematic review was to take stock of whether present stepped care models take comorbidities into consideration. A further aim was to give an overview on treatment components and involved health care professionals.
Methods: A systematic literature search was performed using the databases PubMed, PsycINFO, Cochrane Library and Web of Science. Selection criteria were a randomized controlled trial of a primary-care-based stepped care intervention, adult samples, publication between 2000 and 2017 and English or German language.
Results: Of 1009 search results, 39 studies were eligible. One-third of the trials were conceived for depressive disorders only, one-third for depression and further somatic and/or mental comorbidity and one-third for conditions other than depression. In 39% of the studies comorbidities were explicitly integrated in treatment, mainly via transdiagnostic self-management support, interprofessional collaboration and digital approaches for treatment, monitoring and communication. Most care teams were composed of a primary care physician, a care manager and a psychiatrist and/or psychologist. Due to the heterogeneity of the addressed disorders, no meta-analysis was performed.
Conclusions: Several stepped care models in primary care already account for comorbidities, with depression being the predominant target disorder. To determine their efficacy, the identified strategies to account for comorbidities should be investigated within stepped care models for a broader range of disorders.
Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03226743.