BackgroundDepression has a high prevalence among European countries. Several instruments have been designed to assess its symptoms in different populations. The Hopkins Symptom Checklist 25 (HSCL-25) scale has been identified as valid, reproducible, effective, and easy to use. There are short versions of this scale that could be useful in Primary Care (PC) settings, but their psychometric properties are unknown. AimTo assess in PC patients the psychometric properties and diagnostic accuracy of the Spanish version of the HSCL-10 and the HSCL-5 consisting of 10 and 5 items, respectively. MethodsA multicenter, cross-sectional study was carried out at six PC centers in Spain. The HSCL-25 was administered to outpatients aged 45-75 who also participated in the structured Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI). HSCL-10 and HSCL-5 were assessed and compared to HSCL-25 regarding total score correlation, internal consistency, and criterion validity against the gold-standard CIDI. This is a methodological study from a secondary data analysis and the primary data has been previously published. ResultsOut of 790 patients, 767 completed the HSCL-25 and 736 the CIDI interview (96.0%). Cronbach’s Alpha was 0.84 for HSCL-10 and 0.77 for HSCL-5. The known-group method and confirmatory factor analysis were acceptable for the establishment of construct validity. Sensitivity was 79.7% (CI95%, 67.7-88.0%) for HSCL-10, and 78.0% (CI95%, 65.9-86.6%) for HSCL-5, whereas specificity was 83% (CI95%, 80.0-85.7%) for HSCL-10, and 72.8% (CI95%, 69.3-76.0%) for HSCL-5. Area under the curve against CIDI was 0.88 (CI95%, 0.84-0.92%) for HSCL-10, and 0.85 (CI95%, 0.81-0.89%) for HSCL-5. Optimum cutoff point calculated with Youden Index was 1.90 for the HSCL-10 and 1.80 for the HSCL-5. ConclusionHSCL-10 and HSCL-5 are reliable and valid tools to detect depression symptoms and can be used in PC settings.

Background/Objectives: We aim to assess the effect of the Espaijove.net mental health literacy program on adolescents’ quality of life (QOL). Additionally, we aim to describe their QOL and mental well-being. Methods: A multicenter, randomized, controlled trial was conducted, with pre- and post-intervention assessments and 6- and 12-month follow-ups. A total of 1032 students aged 13-14 from 18 schools in Barcelona participated in one of the three following mental health literacy (MHL) programs or were placed in a control group (CG): (1) a 1 h awareness session (G1h); (2) a 6 h MHL program (G6h); (3) a 7 h MHL program with stigma reduction (G7h). Measures: (1) Mental well-being: Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ); (2) QOL: EuroQol 5D-5L with its two parts: the EuroQol 5D-5L Index (0-1) and EuroQol 5D-5L visual analog scale (EQ-VAS) (0-100). Analyses were conducted on an intention-to-treat basis, using data imputation methods for missing data. Intervention effects were assessed using multilevel models. Results: Baseline EQ-VAS and EQ-5D-5L index scores were 77.84 (CI = 76.77-78.91) and 0.91 (CI = 0.90-0.92), respectively. Boys reported higher QOL and SDQ scores (p < 0.001), whereas participants of foreign nationality showed lower scores in QOL (EQ-VAS; p = 0.039) and mental well-being (p < 0.001). Post-intervention, all groups (intervention and control), except G6h, showed QOL improvements. However, in the 6-month follow-up, the CG outperformed the other groups. At 12 months, G7h achieved the highest EQ-VAS scores compared to the other groups. Conclusions: MHL-based interventions improved short-term QOL but failed to sustain these improvements over time. Groups with lower QOL and SDQ scores included girls and adolescents of foreign nationality.

BackgroundThe incidence of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) is increasing, especially among young people. Tools are needed to increase knowledge about sex education and STI prevention and treatment. Gamification can be a good training tool for both young people and health professionals. The primary objective of this study is to assess the impact of a training intervention on STI prevention, detection, and treatment in primary care professionals.Methods/designMulticentre cluster randomized controlled trial.Groups of primary care professionals will receive an intervention (online video game on sex education and STIs [SEXIT]) and will be compared with control groups that will not receive the intervention. Group assignments will be randomized by clusters.The study will consist of a pre-post evaluation of the intervention: a knowledge test will be administered before and after the intervention and 3 months after the intervention. This test will also be carried out on the same time sequence in the control groups. The impact of the training intervention will be assessed over a 6-month period, focusing on various variables associated with the clinical management of STIs. This evaluation entails the clinical records of diagnostic tests and antibiotic prescriptions related to the clinical approach to STIs.The required sample size is 262 (131 per group).Methods/designMulticentre cluster randomized controlled trial.Groups of primary care professionals will receive an intervention (online video game on sex education and STIs [SEXIT]) and will be compared with control groups that will not receive the intervention. Group assignments will be randomized by clusters.The study will consist of a pre-post evaluation of the intervention: a knowledge test will be administered before and after the intervention and 3 months after the intervention. This test will also be carried out on the same time sequence in the control groups. The impact of the training intervention will be assessed over a 6-month period, focusing on various variables associated with the clinical management of STIs. This evaluation entails the clinical records of diagnostic tests and antibiotic prescriptions related to the clinical approach to STIs.The required sample size is 262 (131 per group).Methods/designMulticentre cluster randomized controlled trial.Groups of primary care professionals will receive an intervention (online video game on sex education and STIs [SEXIT]) and will be compared with control groups that will not receive the intervention. Group assignments will be randomized by clusters.The study will consist of a pre-post evaluation of the intervention: a knowledge test will be administered before and after the intervention and 3 months after the intervention. This test will also be carried out on the same time sequence in the control groups. The impact of the training intervention will be assessed over a 6-month period, focusing on various variables associated with the clinical management of STIs. This evaluation entails the clinical records of diagnostic tests and antibiotic prescriptions related to the clinical approach to STIs.The required sample size is 262 (131 per group).Methods/designMulticentre cluster randomized controlled trial.Groups of primary care professionals will receive an intervention (online video game on sex education and STIs [SEXIT]) and will be compared with control groups that will not receive the intervention. Group assignments will be randomized by clusters.
The study will consist of a pre-post evaluation of the intervention: a knowledge test will be administered before and after the intervention and 3 months after the intervention. This test will also be carried out on the same time sequence in the control groups. The impact of the training intervention will be assessed over a 6-month period, focusing on various variables associated with the clinical management of STIs. This evaluation entails the clinical records of diagnostic tests and antibiotic prescriptions related to the clinical approach to STIs.The required sample size is 262 (131 per group).DiscussionCompared with those in the control group, improvements in knowledge and clinical behavioural outcomes after the intervention are expected for participants in the intervention groups. We plan to develop an educational video game to increase the knowledge about sexuality, STIs and violence.Protocol registered at ISRCTN with reference number ISRCTN17783607.DiscussionCompared with those in the control group, improvements in knowledge and clinical behavioural outcomes after the intervention are expected for participants in the intervention groups. We plan to develop an educational video game to increase the knowledge about sexuality, STIs and violence.Protocol registered at ISRCTN with reference number ISRCTN17783607.

Objective: To evaluate the cost-effectiveness and cost -utility of a psychoeducational group intervention led by primary care (PC) nurses in relation to customary care to prevent the depression and improve quality of life in patients with physical comorbidity. Design: Economic evaluation based on data from randomized, multicenter clinical trial with blind response variables and a one-year follow-up, carried in the context of the PSICODEP study. Location: 27 PC teams from Catalonia. Participants: > 50 year -old patients with depression and some physical comorbidity: diabetes mellitus type 2, ischemic heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and/or asthma. Intervention: 12 psychoeducational group sessions, 1 per week, led by 2 PC nurses with prior training. Measurements: Effectiveness: depression -free days (DFD) calculated from the BDI-II and quality -adjusted life years (QALYs) from the Euroqol-5D. Direct costs: PC visits, mental health, emergencies and hospitalizations, drugs. Indirect costs: days of temporary disability (TD). The incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICER), cost-effectiveness ( A Cost/ A DLD) and cost -utility ( A Cost/ A QALY) were estimated. Results: The study includes 380 patients (intervention group [IG] = 204; control group [CG] = 176). 81.6% women; mean age 68.4 (SD = 8.8). The IG had a higher mean cost of visits, less of hospitalizations and less TD than the CG. The difference in costs between the IG and the CG was -357.95 (95% CI: -2026.96 to 1311.06) at one year of follow-up. There was a mean of 11.95 (95% CI: -15.98 to 39.88) more DFD in the IG than in the CG. QALYs were similar (difference -0.01, 95% CI -0.04 to 0.05). The ICERs were 29.95 /DLD and 35,795 /QALY. Conclusions: Psychoeducational intervention is associated with an improvement in DFD, as well as a reduction in costs at 12 months, although not significantly. QALYs were very similar between groups. (c) 2024 Elsevier Espana, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

Little is known about healthcare workers’ (HCW) use of healthcare services for mental disorders. This study presents data from a 16 -month prospective cohort study of Spanish HCW (n = 4,809), recruited shortly after the COVID-19 pandemic onset, and assessed at four timepoints using web -based surveys. Use of health services among HCW with mental health conditions (i.e., those having a positive screen for mental disorders and/or suicidal thoughts and behaviours [STB]) was initially low (i.e., 18.2 %) but increased to 29.6 % at 16 -month follow-up. Service use was positively associated with pre -pandemic mental health treatment (OR=1.99), a positive screen for major depressive disorder (OR=1.50), panic attacks (OR=1.74), suicidal thoughts and behaviours (OR=1.22), and experiencing severe role impairment (OR=1.33), and negatively associated with being female (OR = 0.69) and a higher daily number of work hours (OR=0.95). Around 30 % of HCW with mental health conditions used anxiolytics (benzodiazepines), especially medical doctors. Four out of ten HCW (39.0 %) with mental health conditions indicated a need for (additional) help, with most important barriers for service use being too ashamed, long waiting lists, and professional treatment not being available. Our findings delineate a clear mental health treatment gap among Spanish HCW.