"

Background:

Depression is the third cause of the highest burden of disease in Chile, having financial coverage guaranteed by the health system. Therefore, it is necessary to plan and coordinate local research to improve clinical practice and health outcomes. However, there is no local diagnosis on whether Chilean clinical research explores relevant interventions and outcomes.

Objective:

To characterise local clinical research on adult depression and generate an evidence map.

Methods:

A scoping review of the Chilean literature on interventions for depression between 2000 and 2021 was performed. An evidence matrix was developed considering local clinical practice guidelines, and a core outcome set included by the COMET (Core Outcome Measures in Effectiveness Trials) initiative. Finally, the matrix was populated with the identified local studies, but also with systematic reviews retrieved regardless of geographical location, which have performed GRADE certainty of evidence assessment, in order to identify either true evidence gaps (TEG) or false evidence gaps (FEG) (further explanation in Table 1).
Preliminary

results:

Of the 12.124 studies selected, 6.160 studies have been preliminarily analysed, of which 69 are Chilean studies on depression in adults. Only 20 studies evaluated interventions. The most studied belong to the non-pharmacological group (n=12), psychotherapy (n=3), counselling (n=3), psychotherapy plus antidepressants (n= 2), and others not relevant (n=4). Response to treatment is the main outcome evaluated. The main local evidence gaps are circumscribed to the outcomes recurrence of depressive episodes, suicide, suicidal ideation and behaviour, and work productivity (Figure 1).

Conclusion:

There is a strong contrast between the magnitude of the depression problem in Chile and the approach that local research has taken to evaluate the impact of existing interventions on our population. Mapping evidence gaps allows us to align future research and its funding with local evidence needs."