NCT02655991

Homecoming Line: Telephone Support for Veterans

• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 358 (actual)
• Sponsor: VA Palo Alto Health Care System · Federal
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years – 100 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

This study will determine whether telephone support improves clinical outcomes of veterans who begin outpatient treatment for posttraumatic stress disorder. Participants will be randomly assigned to receive either usual care or usual care supplemented by biweekly monitoring and support by telephone during the first 3 months of treatment. Patients in both conditions will be compared on PTSD symptoms, engagement in treatment, violence and drinking at 4 months and 12 months after entering treatment.

Detailed description

This multisite randomized controlled trial will test whether a 3-month period of providing telephone monitoring to PTSD patients as a supplement to usual specialty mental health care improves 12-month clinical outcomes (a reduction in PTSD symptoms, violence, and substance use). Secondarily, this study will determine whether telephone monitoring promotes better engagement in outpatient treatment (Number of mental health and psychotherapy visits during the 3-month intervention period). Demand for VA PTSD treatment is increasing as troops return from combat deployments in Afghanistan and Iraq. Telemedicine is likely to be an important component in developing more effective and efficient models of PTSD care that improves patient functioning and treatment utilization. It is hoped that using telephone case monitoring as an inexpensive adjunct to standard care may improve clinical outcomes and reduce hospitalization among veterans with PTSD.

Conditions

• Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
BEHAVIORAL	Telephone Case Monitoring	Outpatient mental health treatment as usual (normal case management, psychotherapy and/or pharmacotherapy) augmented by up to six fortnightly telephone monitoring and support calls from a case manager during the first three months of treatment.
BEHAVIORAL	Treatment as Usual	Outpatient mental health treatment as usual (normal case management, psychotherapy and/or pharmacotherapy).

Timeline

• Start date: 2008-03-01
• Primary completion: 2014-08-01
• Completion: 2014-08-01
• First posted: 2016-01-14
• Last updated: 2016-01-14

Locations

3 sites across 1 country: United States