Real-World Observational Study of Implementation and Evaluation of the Pathway Platform: A Digitally Enabled Care Pathway to Improve Depression Management in Primary Care

This work was sponsored by Takeda Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc. Introduction: The Pathway Platform was designed to improve measurement-based care (MBC) and shared decision-making among patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) and primary care providers (PCPs). Methods: In this real-world, longitudinal, observational study, data from participants aged ≥18 years diagnosed with MDD and with an antidepressant start or switch were collected 6 months retrospectively (pre-implementation) using electronic health records (EHRs; control cohort), and 6 months prospectively (post-implementation) using EHRs and the Pathway Platform (Pathway cohort). Primary outcome was to assess MBC by comparing 6-month utilization of 2- or 9-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ); additional outcomes compared MDD remission and response, healthcare resource utilization, and patient-provider engagement between cohorts. Results: The Pathway cohort included 89 patients (80% female) and 24 PCPs; the control cohort included 90 patients (58% female). EHR documentation of ≥2 PHQ assessments over 6 months was significantly higher among Pathway participants vs controls (55% vs 39%, P=0.03). Pathway participants were more likely to receive ≥1 medication change/switch (52%) vs controls (42%) and significantly less likely to have referrals to behavioral health (9%) vs controls (23%; P