Background: Current operational definitions of remission, at their root, are exclusively symptom-based and therefore limited in scope. In this report from the Rhode Island Methods to Improve Diagnostic Assessment and Services (MIDAS) project we examined patient acceptability of a new measure, the Remission from Depression Questionnaire (RDQ), a scale designed to capture a broader array of domains patients consider relevant to the construct of remission. Patient acceptance of the RDQ was compared with that of the Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology (QIDS), the instrument used to measure outcome in the Sequenced Treatment Alternatives to Relieve Depression study.
Methods: One hundred and two depressed outpatients in ongoing treatment completed the RDQ, QIDS, and a 9-item measure of patient preference.
Results: Patients indicated the RDQ was a better indicator of their overall state and treatment goals. Patients judged the RDQ to be a more accurate and preferred measure to determine treatment outcome, and a more accurate indicator of remission.
Conclusions: Patients considered the multifactorial RDQ a more accurate indicator of their treatment goals than a purely symptom measure such as the QIDS.