Intervention for depression among palliative care patients and their families: A study protocol for evaluation of a training program for professional care staff

A randomised controlled trial will be implemented across two palliative care services to evaluate the "Training program for professional carers to recognise and manage depression in palliative care settings". Pre-, post- and three-month follow-up data will be collected to assess: the impact of the training on the knowledge, attitudes, self-efficacy and perceived barriers of palliative care staff when working with depression; referral rates for depression; and changes to staff practices. Quantitative and qualitative methods, in the form of self-report questionnaires and interviews with staff and family members, will be used to evaluate the effectiveness of the intervention.This study will determine the effectiveness of an intervention that aims to respond to the urgent need for innovative programs to target depression in the palliative care setting. The expected outcome of this study is the validation of an evidence-based training program to improve staff recognition and appropriate referrals for depression, as well as improve psychosocial support for depressed patients and their family members.Australia and New Zealand Clinical Trials Register (ANZCTR): ACTRN12610000183088Depression is a significant problem amongst patients receiving palliative care. Studies indicate the prevalence of clinically diagnosable depression in palliative care settings, as defined by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-IV [1] or International Classification of Diseases-10 [2], is approximately 25 per cent, with up to 50 per cent of patients in this setting reporting high levels of depressive symptomology [3,4]. Factors associated with depression in this population include increased frequency and intensity of physical symptoms, lower general well-being, increased mortality and a hastened desire to die [5-8]. While depression left unaddressed can seriously impact on patients' quality of life, recent evidence supports the efficacy of both pharmacological and psychologica