Effectiveness of an Internet-based preparation for psychosomatic treatment: Results of a controlled observational study

• We examine the effectiveness of an Internet-based preparation program for depression in routine psychosomatic care.
• Web-based interventions open new avenues to support patients waiting to commence inpatient therapy.
• Participants showed higher rates of reliable improvements during inpatient treatment.
• Preparation for psychotherapy is an effective approach to bolster response rates.

ObjectivePatients often have to sustain long waiting periods between the time they first apply for psychotherapy and the actual uptake of the treatment. To support patients who are on a wait-list for inpatient psychosomatic treatment an Internet-based preparatory treatment (VORSTAT) was developed. In a randomized controlled trial, VORSTAT proved to increase treatment motivation prior to intake and to accelerate the accommodation phase at the beginning of inpatient treatment. No impact of VORSTAT on inpatient treatment outcome was found. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effectiveness of VORSTAT after implementing the service into routine care.MethodsA large naturalistic observational study comparing VORSTAT participants (N = 911) against non-participants (N = 1721) was conducted. Propensity scores were used to control for potential confounding variables due to the non-randomized group allocation. Reliable improvement of self-reported impairment achieved during inpatient treatment was used as outcome measure.ResultsVORSTAT participants showed higher rates of reliable improvement in physical impairment (50.8% vs. 44.9%), psychological impairment (41.2% vs. 29.9%), and social problems (22.3% vs. 15.2%).ConclusionAn Internet-based preparation for psychotherapy is an effective approach to improve outcome of inpatient psychosomatic treatment.