StratCare Trial 2
Research type
Research Study
Full title
StratCare Trial 2: Evaluating the clinical and cost-effectiveness of AI-driven stratified care for depression
IRAS ID
329457
Contact name
Jaime Delgadillo
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Rotherham Doncaster and South Humber NHS Foundation Trust
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
NCT06567340, clinicaltrails.gov
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 8 months, 30 days
Research summary
Depression and anxiety are common mental health problems affecting around one in six adults. Treatments include therapy, telephone or group-based activities delivered by therapists. Treatment uses a “stepped care” model where most patients start with very brief treatments. If they remain unwell after this, they access longer and more intensive therapy. This model does not always work, as only one out of two patients fully recover.
We have developed an artificial intelligence tool called “StratCare”. It is designed to help health services to offer the best available treatment for each patient. StratCare is a computerised system that guides therapists on how to assess new patients. It asks a few questions about their symptoms, personality, and background. The system makes a recommendation about which treatment might be most effective for that person. This is either starting with brief therapy or starting with intensive therapy. The treatments are already used with depression in the NHS. The patient can discuss with their therapist and decide whether to accept the recommendation. Otherwise, they can discuss trying other options. Previous research found that StratCare can help more people to recover from depression compared to the usual stepped care model.
We will investigate if the StratCare tool works on a large scale in the NHS and if it helps patients in the long-term. We will run a trial involving 1252 patients using NHS Talking Therapies services. Half will use the StratCare tool to make a treatment recommendation. The other half will follow the stepped care approach. We will contact patients in the trial after 6, 12 and 18 months to see if their mood and quality of life has improved. We will also interview therapists and patients to see what they think about treatment being guided by the StratCare tool.
REC name
London - Brighton & Sussex Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
24/LO/0576
Date of REC Opinion
19 Sep 2024
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion