The BMBF study PRoMPT (PRimary care Monitoring for depressive Patients Trial) developed and investigated GP practice-based case management for patients with major depression. GPs are often the first point of contact for depressive patients, but long-term treatment poses challenges in everyday general practice.

Following special training, the MFAs at GP practices contact patients at regular intervals to obtain information about their current situation using a symptom checklist. In this way, the GP receives immediate feedback on any deterioration in the patient's condition and can promptly initiate all necessary steps.

The study design was a cluster randomized controlled trial in which the control group was treated according to routine care. The three-year study showed a significant improvement in depressive symptoms with this cost-effective intervention. The results were published in AIM 2009 and BJPsych 2013.

• Lukaschek K, Beltz C, Rospleszcz S, Schillok H, Falkai P, Margraf J, Gensichen J. Depressive primary care patients' assessment of received collaborative care. Sci Rep. 2023 Feb 9;13(1):2329. doi: 10.1038/s41598-023-29339-9.
• Krauth C, Stahmeyer JT, Petersen JJ, Freytag A, Gerlach FM, Gensichen J. Resource utilization and costs of depressive patients in Germany: results from the primary care monitoring for depressive patients trial. Depress Res Treat. 2014;2014:730891. doi: 10.1155/2014/730891. Epub 2014 Sep 9.
  
• Gensichen J, Petersen JJ, Von Korff M, Heider D, Baron S, König J, Freytag A, Krauth C, Gerlach FM, König HH. Cost-effectiveness of depression case management in small practices. Br J Psychiatry. 2013 Jun;202:441-6. doi: 10.1192/bjp.bp.112.118257. Epub 2013 Apr 11.
  
• Gensichen J, von Korff M, Peitz M, Muth C, Beyer M, Güthlin C, Torge M, Petersen JJ, Rosemann T, König J, Gerlach FM; PRoMPT (PRimary care Monitoring for depressive Patients Trial). Case management for depression by health care assistants in small primary care practices: a cluster randomized trial. Ann Intern Med. 2009 Sep 15;151(6):369-78. doi: 10.7326/0003-4819-151-6-200909150-00001.
  
• Gensichen J, Torge M, Peitz M, Wendt-Hermainski H, Beyer M, Rosemann T, Krauth C, Raspe H, Aldenhoff JB, Gerlach FM. Case management for the treatment of patients with major depression in general practices--rationale, design and conduct of a cluster randomized controlled trial--PRoMPT (PRimary care Monitoring for depressive Patient's Trial) [ISRCTN66386086]--study protocol. BMC Public Health. 2005 Oct 5;5:101. doi: 10.1186/1471-2458-5-101.