Adapting the Shared Medical Appointment Model for the Management of Anxiety in Primary Care

Title: Adapting the shared medical appointment model for the management of anxiety in primary care. Background: Anxiety disorders are highly prevalent and negatively impact the health of millions of people worldwide. Primary care physicians are often the first providers who diagnose and treat anxiety disorders. Unfortunately, many patients lack access to mental healthcare services to address their difficulties with anxiety. Prior research indicates that the Shared Medical Appointment (SMA) model is highly effective in addressing chronic illnesses. This pilot study aimed to present one primary care clinic’s development of a Primary Care SMA for Anxiety Program, as well as results for its implementation. Methods: Patients were recruited from two family medicine resident training clinics. The anxiety SMA program consisted of six monthly sessions, each with a different primary topic. Participants completed the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) scale before each session. Results: A total of 28 patients participated in the Primary Care SMA for Anxiety Program (75% Female; mean age = 40.85, SD = 19.04). Of those, eleven patients (39%) participated in more than one session. Paired samples t-test results indicated a significant reduction in pre-GAD-7 (M = 10.9, SD = 4.96) to post-GAD-7 (M = 7.72, SD = 5.2) scores, t = 2.68, p = 0.02. These results find that participants demonstrated a significant reduction in anxiety symptoms and this may be due to participation in the Primary Care SMA for Anxiety Program. Conclusions: The current study suggests that a SMA model may be effective in reducing anxiety symptoms for participants. This model may prove beneficial for effective anxiety treatment. Abbreviations SMA: Shared Medical Appointment; GAD-7: Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 BRieF RePoRT