New MDD Minds publications highlight global learning from primary care

Two new articles on the MDD Minds for Primary Care project are now available, sharing key learning from WONCA’s global initiative to strengthen care for people living with major depressive disorder in primary care.

MDD Minds was developed by WONCA, through its Working Party on Mental Health and in collaboration with Mosaica Solutions, to support family doctors and primary care teams in Africa-Middle East, Asia and Latin America. The project included three connected phases: MDD Minds 101, a self-paced online course; a Train-the-Trainer programme to support local education and leadership; and a Performance in Practice initiative focused on depression screening in routine primary care.

The first article, “Global educational initiative for managing major depressive disorders in primary care: the MDD Minds project”, describes the design, delivery and results of the wider education programme. It highlights how local adaptation, multilingual access and national primary care networks helped the project reach family doctors and primary care professionals across participating countries.

The second article, “Implementing systematic depression screening in primary care: lessons from the MDD Minds global quality improvement pilot”, focuses on the Performance in Practice phase. It shares practical lessons from primary care teams in Brazil, Japan, Kenya and Nigeria that introduced systematic depression screening for adults with diabetes during routine consultations.

Together, the articles show how family doctors and primary care teams can play a central role in improving recognition, diagnosis and care for depression, especially when supported by practical tools, local leadership and culturally relevant training.