NCT02685358

An RCT of a Primary Care-Based PTSD Intervention: Clinician-Supported PTSD Coach

• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 234 (actual)
• Sponsor: VA Office of Research and Development · Federal
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is an often severe and frequently disabling condition. It is associated with compromised health, early mortality, and substantial economic costs. PTSD is common in VA primary care patients; however, brief, effective treatments for PTSD are not available in the primary care setting. Instead, patients with PTSD are referred to mental health settings, yet many patients do not accept these referrals or do not adequately engage in such services. Thus, this project seeks to improve health care for Veterans by testing the effectiveness of a primary care-based treatment called clinician-supported PTSD Coach. In this treatment a primary care mental health clinician guides patients in using the PTSD Coach mobile app to learn about PTSD symptoms, treatment options, and strategies to cope with common PTSD-related concerns. If this treatment is found to be effective at reducing PTSD symptoms and increasing use of mental health care, it will provide a tremendous benefit to Veterans with PTSD seen in VA primary care.

Detailed description

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is an often severe and frequently disabling condition. It is associated with compromised health, early mortality, and substantial economic costs. PTSD is common in VA primary care patients; however, brief, effective treatments for PTSD are not available in the primary care setting. Instead, patients with PTSD are referred to mental health settings, yet many patients do not accept these referrals or do not adequately engage in such services. Thus, this project represents a unique opportunity to improve health care for Veterans by examining the effectiveness of a primary care-based treatment called Clinician-Supported PTSD Coach. In this treatment a primary care mental health clinician guides patients in using the PTSD Coach mobile app to learn about PTSD symptoms, treatment options, and strategies to cope with common PTSD-related concerns. This randomized clinical trial will enroll and treat 260 VA primary care patients (female and male) who have PTSD and are not currently being treated for it. Commonly used, well-established clinical interviews and self-report measures will be used to assess important clinical outcomes. If this direct treatment is found to be effective at reducing PTSD symptoms and increasing use of mental health care, it will provide a tremendous benefit to Veterans with PTSD seen in VA primary care.

Conditions

• Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
BEHAVIORAL	Clinician-Supported PTSD Coach	Clinician-supported PTSD Coach is primary care-based treatment. In this treatment a primary care mental health clinician guides patients in using the PTSD Coach mobile app to learn about PTSD symptoms, treatment options, and strategies to cope with common PTSD-related concerns. It consists of 4 brief sessions over 8 weeks.
BEHAVIORAL	Primary Care Mental Health Integrated Care as Usual	Existing primary care mental health integrated treatment will serve as the comparison condition

Timeline

• Start date: 2017-03-01
• Primary completion: 2021-09-30
• Completion: 2021-09-30
• First posted: 2016-02-18
• Last updated: 2024-03-04
• Results posted: 2024-03-04

Locations

2 sites across 1 country: United States