Can stepped collaborative care interventions improve post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms for racial and ethnic minority injury survivors?

Objectives: No large-scale randomized clinical trial investigations have evaluated the potential differential effectiveness of early interventions for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among injured patients from racial and ethnic minority backgrounds. The current investigation assessed whether a stepped collaborative care intervention trial conducted at 25 level I trauma centers differentially improved PTSD symptoms for racial and ethnic minority injury survivors. Methods: The investigation was a secondary analysis of a stepped wedge cluster randomized clinical trial. Patients endorsing high levels of distress on the PTSD Checklist (PCL-C) were randomized to enhanced usual care control or intervention conditions. Three hundred and fifty patients of the 635 randomized (55%) were from non-white and/or Hispanic backgrounds. The intervention included care management, cognitive behavioral therapy elements and, psychopharmacology addressing PTSD symptoms. The primary study outcome was PTSD symptoms assessed with the PCL-C at 3, 6, and 12 months postinjury. Mixed model regression analyses compared treatment effects for intervention and control group patients from non-white/Hispanic versus white/non-Hispanic backgrounds. Results: The investigation attained between 75% and 80% 3-month to 12-month follow-up. The intervention, on average, required 122 min (SD=132 min). Mixed model regression analyses revealed significant changes in PCL-C scores for non-white/Hispanic intervention patients at 6 months (adjusted difference -3.72 (95% CI -7.33 to -0.10) Effect Size =0.25, p<0.05) after the injury event. No significant differences were observed for white/non-Hispanic patients at the 6-month time point (adjusted difference -1.29 (95% CI -4.89 to 2.31) ES=0.10, p=ns). Conclusion: In this secondary analysis, a brief stepped collaborative care intervention was associated with greater 6-month reductions in PTSD symptoms for non-white/Hispanic patients when compared with white/non-Hispanic patients. If replicated, these findings could serve to inform future American College of Surgeon Committee on Trauma requirements for screening, intervention, and referral for PTSD and comorbidities. Level of evidence: Level II, secondary analysis of randomized clinical trial data reporting a significant difference. Trial registration number: NCT02655354.

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms and alcohol and drug use comorbidity at 25 US level I trauma centers.

Background: Questions regarding the extent to which post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is comorbid with alcohol and drug use are particularly germane in an era when the American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma (ACS-COT) is considering policy requiring screening, intervention and/or referral services for patients presenting with psychological sequalae of traumatic injury. Literature review revealed few multisite trauma-center-based investigations that have assessed the association between PTSD symptoms and alcohol and drug use comorbidities in injured patients. Methods: This investigation was a secondary analysis of baseline data collected prior to randomization in a 25-site trauma center pragmatic clinical trial. All 635 patients included in the investigation had elevated PTSD symptom levels at the time of trauma center admission. Self-report questionnaire screening, laboratory toxicology results, and electronic health record data were combined to assess the frequencies of alcohol, stimulant (i.e., amphetamine and cocaine), opioid and marijuana use comorbidities for injured patients. Logistic regression was used to assess the associations between demographic and injury characteristics and alcohol and drug use comorbidity. Results: The frequency of patients with one or more alcohol or substance use comorbidity was between 62% and 79%. Over 50% of patients were positive for one or more alcohol or cannabis comorbidity. Approximately 26% of patients were positive for stimulants and 10% for opioid comorbidity. Discussion: This multisite investigation suggests that between 62% and 79% of hospitalized injury survivors with elevated PTSD symptoms have one or more alcohol or drug use comorbidity. Orchestrated ACS-COT policy and trauma center service delivery development should incorporate the key finding that a substantial majority of patients with high levels of psychological distress (eg, elevated PTSD symptoms) may have alcohol and drug use comorbidities. Level of evidence: Level II (epidemiological investigation of untreated controls from a multisite randomized clinical trial). Trial registration number: NCT02655354.

Developing a National Trauma Research Action Plan: Results from the long-term outcomes research gap Delphi survey.

BACKGROUND: In the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine 2016 report on trauma care, the establishment of a National Trauma Research Action Plan to strengthen and guide future trauma research was recommended. To address this recommendation, the Department of Defense funded the Coalition for National Trauma Research to generate a comprehensive research agenda spanning the continuum of trauma and burn care. We describe the gap analysis and high-priority research questions generated from the National Trauma Research Action Plan panel on long-term outcomes. METHODS: Experts in long-term outcomes were recruited to identify current gaps in long-term trauma outcomes research, generate research questions, and establish the priority for these questions using a consensus-driven, Delphi survey approach from February 2021 to August 2021. Panelists were identified using established Delphi recruitment guidelines to ensure heterogeneity and generalizability including both military and civilian representation. Panelists were encouraged to use a PICO format to generate research questions: Patient/Population, Intervention, Compare/Control, and Outcome model. On subsequent surveys, panelists were asked to prioritize each research question on a 9-point Likert scale, categorized to represent low-, medium-, and high-priority items. Consensus was defined as ≥60% of panelists agreeing on the priority category. RESULTS: Thirty-two subject matter experts generated 482 questions in 17 long-term outcome topic areas. By Round 3 of the Delphi, 359 questions (75%) reached consensus, of which 107 (30%) were determined to be high priority, 252 (70%) medium priority, and 0 (0%) low priority. Substance abuse and pain was the topic area with the highest number of questions. Health services (not including mental health or rehabilitation) (64%), mental health (46%), and geriatric population (43%) were the topic areas with the highest proportion of high-priority questions. CONCLUSION: This Delphi gap analysis of long-term trauma outcomes research identified 107 high-priority research questions that will help guide investigators in future long-term outcomes research. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Diagnostic Tests or Criteria; Level IV.

A Prospective US National Trauma Center Study of Firearm Injury Survivors Weapon Carriage and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the demographic, injury-related, and mental health characteristics of firearm injury patients and trace firearm weapon carriage and PTSD symptoms over the year after injury. SUMMARY AND BACKGROUND DATA: Based on the increasing incidence of firearm injury and need for novel injury prevention strategies, hospital-based violence intervention programs are being implemented in US trauma centers. There is limited data on the long-term outcomes and risk behaviors of firearm injury survivors to guide this work. METHODS: We conducted a secondary analysis of a pragmatic 25-trauma center randomized trial (N = 635). Baseline characteristics of firearm-injured patients (N = 128) were compared with other trauma patients. Mixed model regression was used to identify risk factors for postinjury firearm weapon carriage and PTSD symptoms. RESULTS: Firearm injury patients were younger and more likely to be black, male and of lower socioeconomic status, and more likely to carry a firearm in the year before injury. Relative to preinjury, there was a significant drop in firearm weapon carriage at 3- and 6-months postinjury, followed by a return to preinjury levels at 12-months. Firearm injury was significantly and independently associated with an increased risk of postinjury firearm weapon carriage [relative risk = 2.08, 95% confidence interval (1.34, 3.22), P < 0.01] and higher PTSD symptom levels [Beta = 3.82, 95% confidence interval (1.29, 6.35), P < 0.01]. CONCLUSIONS: Firearm injury survivors are at risk for firearm carriage and high PTSD symptom levels postinjury. The significant decrease in the high-risk behavior of firearm weapon carriage at 3-6 months postinjury suggests that there is an important postinjury "teachable moment" that should be targeted with preventive interventions. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02655354.

Stepped Collaborative Care Targeting Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms and Comorbidity for US Trauma Care Systems: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: To date, few multisite investigations have evaluated early interventions for injured patients with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms. Objective: To simultaneously assess the effectiveness and implementation of a brief stepped collaborative care intervention targeting PTSD and comorbidity. Design, Setting, and Participants: A stepped-wedge cluster randomized clinical trial was conducted at 25 US level I trauma centers. Participants included hospitalized survivors of physical injury who underwent a 2-step evaluation for PTSD symptoms. Patients reporting high levels of distress on the PTSD Checklist (PCL-C) were randomized (N = 635) per the stepped-wedge protocol to enhanced usual care control (n = 370) or intervention (n = 265) conditions. The study was conducted from January 4, 2016, through November 2018. Data analysis was performed from November 4, 2019, to December 8, 2020. Interventions: The Trauma Survivors Outcomes and Support collaborative care intervention included proactive injury case management that assisted patients transitioning from hospital inpatient to outpatient and community settings. The intervention also integrated evidence-based pharmacotherapy and psychotherapeutic elements targeting PTSD symptoms and comorbidity. Main Outcomes and Measures: The primary study outcome was PTSD symptoms assessed with the PCL-C at baseline in the surgical ward and at 3, 6, and 12 months postinjury. Secondary outcomes included depressive symptoms, alcohol use, and physical function. Subgroup analyses examined the effect of baseline risk factors for enduring PTSD and quality of protocol implementation on study outcomes. Primary statistical analyses were conducted using the intent-to-treat sample. Results: A total of 327 men (51.5%) were included in analysis; mean (SD) age was 39.0 (14.2) years. The investigation attained follow-up of 75% to 80% of the participants at 3 to 12 months. The intervention lasted a mean (SD) of 122 (132) minutes. Mixed model regression analyses revealed statistically significant changes in PCL-C scores for intervention patients compared with control patients at 6 months (difference, -2.57; 95% CI, -5.12 to -0.03; effect size, 0.18; P < .05) but not 12 months (difference, -1.27; 95% CI, -4.26 to 1.73; effect size, 0.08; P = .35). Subgroup analyses revealed larger PTSD treatment effects for patients with 3 or more baseline risk factors for enduring PTSD and for patients, including firearm injury survivors, treated at trauma centers with good or excellent protocol implementation. Intervention effects for secondary outcomes did not attain statistical significance. Conclusions and Relevance: A brief stepped collaborative care intervention was associated with significant 6-month but not 12-month PTSD symptom reductions. Greater baseline PTSD risk and good or excellent trauma center protocol implementation were associated with larger PTSD treatment effects. Orchestrated efforts targeting policy and funding should systematically incorporate the study findings into national trauma center requirements and verification criteria. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02655354.

Leveraging a health information exchange to examine the accuracy of self-report emergency department utilization data among hospitalized injury survivors.

BACKGROUND: Accurate acute care medical utilization history is an important outcome for clinicians and investigators concerned with improving trauma center care. The objective of this study was to examine the accuracy of self-report emergency department (ED) utilization compared with utilization obtained from the Emergency Department Information Exchange (EDIE) in admitted trauma surgery patients with comorbid mental health and substance use problems. METHODS: This is a retrospective cohort study of 169 injured patients admitted to the University of Washington's Harborview Level I Trauma Center. Patients had high levels of post-traumatic stress disorder and depressive symptoms, suicidal ideation and alcohol comorbidity. The investigation used EDIE, a novel health technology tool that collects information at the time a patient checks into any ED in Washington and other US states. Patterns of EDIE-documented visits were described, and the accuracy of injured patients' self-report visits was compared with EDIE-recorded visits during the course of the 12 months prior to the index trauma center admission. RESULTS: Overall, 45% of the sample (n=76) inaccurately recalled their ED visits during the past year, with 36 participants (21%) reporting less ED visits than EDIE indicated and 40 (24%) reporting more ED visits than EDIE indicated. Patients with histories of alcohol use problems and major psychiatric illness were more likely to either under-report or over-report ED health service use. DISCUSSION: Nearly half of all patients were unable to accurately recall ED visits in the previous 12 months compared with EDIE, with almost one-quarter of patients demonstrating high levels of disagreement. The improved accuracy and ease of use when compared with self-report make EDIE an important tool for both clinical and pragmatic trial longitudinal outcome assessments. Orchestrated investigative and policy efforts could further examine the benefits of introducing EDIE and other information exchanges into routine acute care clinical workflows. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: II/III. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02274688.

Rapid ethnographic assessment of the COVID-19 pandemic April 2020 'surge' and its impact on service delivery in an Acute Care Medical Emergency Department and Trauma Center.

OBJECTIVES: Assess the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on service delivery by frontline healthcare providers in acute care medical and emergency department settings and identify strategies used to cope with pandemic-related physical and mental health demands. DESIGN: Rapid clinical ethnography of patient-provider encounters during an initial pandemic 'surge' conducted by a team of clinician-researchers using a structured protocol for qualitative data collection and analysis. SETTING: Level 1 trauma centre at Harborview Hospital in Seattle Washington in April 2020. PARTICIPANTS: Frontline clinical providers serving as participant observers during performance of their clinical duties recorded observations and summaries of conversations with other providers and patients. RESULTS: We identified four different kinds of impacts: procedural, provider, patient and overall. Each impact highlighted two or more levels of a socioecological model of services delivery: (1) the epidemiology of COVID-19, (2) outer setting, (3) inner or organisational setting and (4) individual patient and provider. Despite significant changes in procedures that included COVID-19 screening of all admitted patients, social distancing and use of personal protective equipment, as well as changes in patient and provider behaviour, the overall impact of the pandemic on the emergency department and acute care service delivery was minimal. This is attributed to having a smaller surge than expected, a quick response by the healthcare system to anticipated demands for service delivery and protection of patients and providers, adequate supplies and high provider morale. CONCLUSIONS: Although limited to one setting in one healthcare system in one community, the findings offer some important lessons for healthcare systems that have yet to be impacted as well as systems that have been more severely impacted. Each of the socioecological framework levels was found to impact service delivery to patients, and variations at each of these levels account for variations in that quality of care globally.

Screening and treating hospitalized trauma survivors for posttraumatic stress disorder and depression.

Traumatic injury affects over 2.6 million U.S. adults annually and elevates risk for a number of negative health consequences. This includes substantial psychological harm, the most prominent being posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), with approximately 21% of traumatic injury survivors developing the disorder within the first year after injury. Posttraumatic stress disorder is associated with deficits in physical recovery, social functioning, and quality of life. Depression is diagnosed in approximately 6% in the year after injury and is also a predictor of poor quality of life. The American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma suggests screening for and treatment of PTSD and depression, reflecting a growing awareness of the critical need to address patients' mental health needs after trauma. While some trauma centers have implemented screening and treatment or referral for treatment programs, the majority are evaluating how to best address this recommendation, and no standard approach for screening and treatment currently exists. Further, guidelines are not yet available with respect to resources that may be used to effectively screen and treat these disorders in trauma survivors, as well as who is going to bear the costs. The purpose of this review is: (1) to evaluate the current state of the literature regarding evidence-based screens for PTSD and depression in the hospitalized trauma patient and (2) summarize the literature to date regarding the treatments that have empirical support in treating PTSD and depression acutely after injury. This review also includes structural and funding information regarding existing postinjury mental health programs. Screening of injured patients and timely intervention to prevent or treat PTSD and depression could substantially improve health outcomes and improve quality of life for this high-risk population. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Review, level IV.

Predictors of Sustained Prescription Opioid Use After Admission for Trauma in Adolescents.

PURPOSE: The study objectives are to describe the longitudinal trajectory of prescription opioid use among adolescents requiring a trauma admission and then identify predictors of sustained opioid use. METHODS: Randomly sampled adolescents (12-18 years) admitted to a Level I trauma center were surveyed. Follow-up assessments were obtained at 2, 5, and 12 months. Self-reported prescription opioid use, defined as "taking an opioid prescribed by a physician," was obtained at baseline and every follow-up time point. At the baseline interview, validated mental health measures and pain scales were obtained as well as preinjury substance use. A fixed-effects mixed Poisson regression analysis was performed to predict prescription opioid use over time. RESULTS: A total of 120 adolescents (mean age 15.5 years [1.9 standard deviation], 75% male) completed the baseline interview with 98% follow-up at 12 months. At baseline, 7% of adolescents reported prescription opioid use before their trauma, with rates of prescription opioid use of 52% at 2 months, 13.3% at 5 months, and 12.5% at 12 months after discharge. After adjusting for demographic characteristics and injury severity score, those with sustained prescription opioid use were more likely to report preinjury marijuana use and higher baseline pain scores. CONCLUSIONS: Approximately one in eight adolescents (12.5%) was using prescription opioids 12 months after injury hospitalization. Readily identifiable risk factors predicted sustained prescription opioid use, including preinjury marijuana use and baseline pain score. Screening for substance use including marijuana at the time of injury could help identify patients at risk for both substance use problems and sustained prescription opioid use.

Acute care clinical indicators associated with discharge outcomes in children with severe traumatic brain injury.

OBJECTIVE: The effect of the 2003 severe pediatric traumatic brain injury (TBI) guidelines on outcomes has not been examined. We aimed to develop a set of acute care guideline-influenced clinical indicators of adherence and tested the relationship between these indicators during the first 72 hours after hospital admission and discharge outcomes. DESIGN: Retrospective multicenter cohort study. SETTING: Five regional pediatric trauma centers affiliated with academic medical centers. PATIENTS: Children under 18 years with severe traumatic brain injury (admission Glasgow Coma Scale score ≤ 8, International Classification of Diseases, 9th Edition, diagnosis codes of 800.0-801.9, 803.0-804.9, 850.0-854.1, 959.01, 950.1-950.3, 995.55, maximum head abbreviated Injury Severity Score ≥ 3) who received tracheal intubation for at least 48 hours in the ICU between 2007 and 2011 were examined. INTERVENTIONS: None. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Total percent adherence to the clinical indicators across all treatment locations (prehospital, emergency department, operating room, and ICU) during the first 72 hours after admission to study center were determined. Main outcomes were discharge survival and Glasgow Outcome Scale score. Total adherence rate across all locations and all centers ranged from 68% to 78%. Clinical indicators of adherence were associated with survival (adjusted hazard ratios, 0.94; 95% CI, 0.91-0.96). Three indicators were associated with survival: absence of prehospital hypoxia (adjusted hazard ratios, 0.20; 95% CI, 0.08-0.46), early ICU start of nutrition (adjusted hazard ratios, 0.06; 95% CI, 0.01-0.26), and ICU PaCO2 more than 30 mm Hg in the absence of radiographic or clinical signs of cerebral herniation (adjusted hazard ratios, 0.22; 95% CI, 0.06-0.8). Clinical indicators of adherence were associated with favorable Glasgow Outcome Scale among survivors (adjusted hazard ratios, 0.99; 95% CI, 0.98-0.99). Three indicators were associated with favorable discharge Glasgow Outcome Scale: all operating room cerebral perfusion pressure more than 40 mm Hg (adjusted relative risk, 0.61; 95% CI, 0.58-0.64), all ICU cerebral perfusion pressure more than 40 mm Hg (adjusted relative risk, 0.73; 95% CI, 0.63-0.84), and no surgery (any type; adjusted relative risk, 0.68; 95% CI, 0.53- 0.86). CONCLUSIONS: Acute care clinical indicators of adherence to the Pediatric Guidelines were associated with significantly higher discharge survival and improved discharge Glasgow Outcome Scale. Some indicators were protective, regardless of treatment location, suggesting the need for an interdisciplinary approach to the care of children with severe traumatic brain injury.

Disseminating alcohol screening and brief intervention at trauma centers: a policy-relevant cluster randomized effectiveness trial.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: In 2005 the American College of Surgeons passed a mandate requiring that level I trauma centers have mechanisms to identify and intervene with problem drinkers. The aim of this investigation was to determine if a multi-level trauma center intervention targeting both providers and patients would lead to higher-quality alcohol screening and brief intervention (SBI) when compared with trauma center mandate compliance without implementation enhancements. DESIGN: Cluster randomized trial in which intervention site (site n = 10, patient n = 409) providers received 1-day workshop training on evidence-based motivational interviewing (MI) alcohol interventions and four 30-minute feedback and coaching sessions; control sites (site n = 10, patient n = 469) implemented the mandate without study team training enhancements. SETTING: Trauma centers in the United States of America. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 878 blood alcohol-positive in-patients with and without traumatic brain injury (TBI). MEASUREMENTS: MI skills of providers were assessed with fidelity coded standardized patient interviews. All patients were interviewed at baseline and 6- and 12-months post-injury with the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT). FINDINGS: Intervention site providers consistently demonstrated enhanced MI skills compared with control providers. Intervention patients demonstrated an 8% reduction in AUDIT hazardous drinking relative to controls over the course of the year after injury (relative risk = 0.88, 95%, confidence interval = 0.79, 0.98). Intervention patients were more likely to demonstrate improvements in alcohol use problems in the absence of traumatic brain injury (TBI) (P = 0.002). CONCLUSION: Trauma center providers can be trained to deliver higher-quality alcohol screening and brief intervention (SBI) than untrained providers, which is associated with modest reductions in alcohol use problems, particularly among patients without TBI.

The development of a population-based automated screening procedure for PTSD in acutely injured hospitalized trauma survivors.

OBJECTIVE: This investigation aimed to advance posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) risk prediction among hospitalized injury survivors by developing a population-based automated screening tool derived from data elements available in the electronic medical record (EMR). METHOD: Potential EMR-derived PTSD risk factors with the greatest predictive utilities were identified for 878 randomly selected injured trauma survivors. Risk factors were assessed using logistic regression, sensitivity, specificity, predictive values and receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curve analyses. RESULTS: Ten EMR data elements contributed to the optimal PTSD risk prediction model including International Classification of Diseases, 9th Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-9-CM) PTSD diagnosis, other ICD-9-CM psychiatric diagnosis, other ICD-9-CM substance use diagnosis or positive blood alcohol on admission, tobacco use, female gender, non-White ethnicity, uninsured, public or veteran insurance status, E-code identified intentional injury, intensive care unit admission and EMR documentation of any prior trauma center visits. The 10-item automated screen demonstrated good area under the ROC curve (0.72), sensitivity (0.71) and specificity (0.66). CONCLUSIONS: Automated EMR screening can be used to efficiently and accurately triage injury survivors at risk for the development of PTSD. Automated EMR procedures could be combined with stepped care protocols to optimize the sustainable implementation of PTSD screening and intervention at trauma centers nationwide.

A longitudinal investigation of alcohol use over the course of the year following medical-surgical intensive care unit admission.

BACKGROUND: There have been no studies describing post-intensive care unit (ICU) alcohol use among medical-surgical ICU survivors. OBJECTIVE: To examine alcohol use and identify potentially modifiable risk factors, such as in-hospital probable acute stress disorder, for increased alcohol use following medical-surgical ICU admission. METHOD: This longitudinal investigation included 150 medical-surgical ICU survivors. In-hospital interviews obtained baseline characteristics including pre-ICU alcohol use with the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) and in-hospital probable acute stress disorder with the Post-traumatic Stress Disorder Checklist-civilian version. Clinical factors were obtained from medical records. Post-ICU alcohol use was ascertained via telephone interviews at 3 and 12 months post-discharge using the AUDIT. Mixed-model linear regression was used to examine potential risk factors for increased post-ICU alcohol use. RESULTS: There was a significant decline in the mean AUDIT score from baseline (3.9, 95% confidence interval [95% CI]: 2.9, 5.0) to 3 months post-ICU (1.5, 95% CI: 1.0, 2.1) (P < 0.001 by one-way analysis of variance [ANOVA]), with a significant increase between 3 and 12 months post-ICU (2.7, 95% CI: 1.8, 3.5) (P < 0.001 by one-way ANOVA). After adjusting for patient and clinical factors, in-hospital probable acute stress disorder (beta: 3.0, 95% CI: 0.9, 5.0) and pre-ICU unhealthy alcohol use (beta: 5.4, 95% CI: 3.4, 7.4) were independently associated with increased post-ICU alcohol use. CONCLUSIONS: Alcohol use decreases in the early aftermath of medical-surgical ICU admission and then increases significantly by one year post-ICU. Interventions for unhealthy alcohol use among medical-surgical ICU survivors that take into account comorbid psychiatric symptoms are needed.

Disseminating Organizational Screening and Brief Intervention Services (DO-SBIS) for alcohol at trauma centers study design.

OBJECTIVE: In 2005, the American College of Surgeons passed a mandate requiring that Level I trauma centers have a mechanism to identify patients who are problem drinkers and have the capacity to provide an intervention for patients who screen positive. The aim of the Disseminating Organizational Screening and Brief Intervention Services (DO-SBIS) cluster randomized trial is to test a multilevel intervention targeting the implementation of high-quality alcohol screening and brief intervention (SBI) services at trauma centers. METHOD: Twenty sites selected from all United States Level I trauma centers were randomized to participate in the trial. Intervention site providers receive a combination of workshop training in evidence-based motivational interviewing (MI) interventions and organizational development activities prior to conducting trauma-center-based alcohol SBI with blood-alcohol-positive injured patients. Control sites implement care as usual. Provider MI skills, patient alcohol consumption, and organizational acceptance of SBI implementation outcomes are assessed. RESULTS: The investigation has successfully recruited provider, patient and trauma center staff samples into the study, and outcomes are being followed longitudinally. CONCLUSION: When completed, the DO-SBIS trial will inform future American College of Surgeons' policy targeting the sustained integration of high-quality alcohol SBI at trauma centers nationwide.

A randomized stepped care intervention trial targeting posttraumatic stress disorder for surgically hospitalized injury survivors.

OBJECTIVE: To test the effectiveness of a stepped care intervention model targeting posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms after injury. BACKGROUND: Few investigations have evaluated interventions for injured patients with PTSD and related impairments that can be feasibly implemented in trauma surgical settings. METHODS: The investigation was a pragmatic effectiveness trial in which 207 acutely injured hospitalized trauma survivors were screened for high PTSD symptom levels and then randomized to a stepped combined care management, psychopharmacology, and cognitive behavioral psychotherapy intervention (n = 104) or usual care control (n = 103) conditions. The symptoms of PTSD and functional limitations were reassessed at 1, 3, 6, 9, and 12 months after the index injury admission. RESULTS: Regression analyses demonstrated that over the course of the year after injury, intervention patients had significantly reduced PTSD symptoms when compared with controls [group by time effect, CAPS (Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale): F(2, 185) = 5.50, P < 0.01; PCL-C (PTSD Checklist Civilian Version): F(4, 185) = 5.45, P < 0.001]. Clinically and statistically significant PTSD treatment effects were observed at the 6-, 9-, and 12-month postinjury assessments. Over the course of the year after injury, intervention patients also demonstrated significant improvements in physical function [MOS SF-36 PCS (Medical Outcomes Study Short Form 36 Physical Component Summary) main effect: F(1, 172) = 9.87, P < 0.01]. CONCLUSIONS: Stepped care interventions can reduce PTSD symptoms and improve functioning over the course of the year after surgical injury hospitalization. Orchestrated investigative and policy efforts could systematically introduce and evaluate screening and intervention procedures for PTSD at US trauma centers. ( TRIAL REGISTRATION: clinicaltrials.gov identifier: NCT00270959).

The effect of perceived person-job fit on employee attitudes toward change in trauma centers.

BACKGROUND: Employee attitudes toward change are critical for health care organizations implementing new procedures and practices. When employees are more positive about the change, they are likely to behave in ways that support the change, whereas when employees are negative about the change, they will resist the changes. PURPOSE: This study examined how perceived person-job (demands-abilities) fit influences attitudes toward change after an externally mandated change. Specifically, we propose that perceived person-job fit moderates the negative relationship between individual job impact and attitudes toward change. METHODOLOGY: We examined this issue in a sample of Level 1 trauma centers facing a regulatory mandate to develop an alcohol screening and brief intervention program. A survey of 200 providers within 20 trauma centers assessed perceived person-job fit, individual job impact, and attitudes toward change approximately 1 year after the mandate was enacted. RESULTS: Providers who perceived a better fit between their abilities and the new job demands were more positive about the change. Further, the impact of the alcohol screening and brief intervention program on attitudes toward change was mitigated by perceived fit, where the relationship between job impact and change attitudes was more negative for providers who perceived a worse fit as compared with those who perceived a better fit. PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: Successful implementation of changes to work processes and procedures requires provider support of the change. Management can enhance this support by improving perceived person-job fit through ongoing training sessions that enhance providers' abilities to implement the new procedures.

Collaborative care interventions in general trauma patients.

Collaborative care is a disease management strategy that aims to simultaneously target medical/surgical (eg, physical injury) and psychiatric (eg, posttraumatic stress disorder [PTSD] and depression) conditions. Collaborative care interventions hold promise for the delivery of mental health interventions in acute care as they can incorporate frontline trauma center providers, such as social workers and nurses, into early mental health services delivery and can link trauma center care to outpatient services. Initial randomized clinical trial evidence suggests that collaborative care interventions that incorporate evidence-based motivational interviewing targeting alcohol use, as well as pharmacotherapy and psychotherapy targeting PTSD, may reduce both alcohol and PTSD symptoms among injured trauma surgery patients. Trials conducted to date thus suggest that early mental health interventions can be feasibly and effectively delivered from trauma centers. Future collaborative care investigations that refine routine acute care treatment procedures and target acute care policy mandates can improve the quality of mental health care for Americans injured in the wake of individual and mass trauma.

Nationwide survey of alcohol screening and brief intervention practices at US Level I trauma centers.

BACKGROUND: In 2007, the American College of Surgeons (ACS) Committee on Trauma implemented a requirement that Level I trauma centers must have a mechanism to identify patients who are problem drinkers and the capacity to provide an intervention for patients who screen positive. Although the landmark alcohol screening and brief intervention (SBI) mandate is anticipated to impact trauma practice nationwide, a literature review revealed no studies that have systematically documented SBI practice pre-ACS requirement. STUDY DESIGN: Trauma programs at all US Level I trauma centers were contacted and asked to complete a survey about pre-ACS requirement trauma center SBI practice. RESULTS: One hundred forty-eight of 204 (73%) Level I trauma centers responded to the survey. More than 70% of responding centers routinely used laboratory tests (eg, blood alcohol concentration) to screen patients for alcohol and 39% routinely used a screening question or standardized screening instrument. Screen-positive patients received a formal alcohol consult or had an informal alcohol discussion with staff members approximately 25% of the time. CONCLUSIONS: The investigation observed marked variability across Level I centers in the percentage of patients screened and in the nature and extent of intervention delivery in screen-positive patients. In the wake of the ACS Committee on Trauma requirement, future research could systematically implement and evaluate training in the delivery of evidence-based alcohol interventions and training in development of trauma center organizational capacity for sustained delivery of SBI.

A national US study of posttraumatic stress disorder, depression, and work and functional outcomes after hospitalization for traumatic injury.

OBJECTIVE: To examine factors other than injury severity that are likely to influence functional outcomes after hospitalization for injury. SUMMARY BACKGROUND DATA: This study used data from the National Study on the Costs and Outcomes of Trauma investigation to examine the association between posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, and return to work and the development of functional impairments after injury. METHOD: A total of 2707 surgical inpatients who were representative of 9374 injured patients were recruited from 69 hospitals across the US. PTSD and depression were assessed at 12 months postinjury, as were the following functional outcomes: activities of daily living, health status, and return to usual major activities and work. Regression analyses assessed the associations between PTSD and depression and functional outcomes while adjusting for clinical and demographic characteristics. RESULTS: At 12 months after injury, 20.7% of patients had PTSD and 6.6% had depression. Both disorders were independently associated with significant impairments across all functional outcomes. A dose-response relationship was observed, such that previously working patients with 1 disorder had a 3-fold increased odds of not returning to work 12 months after injury odds ratio = 3.20 95% (95% confidence interval = 2.46, 4.16), and patients with both disorders had a 5-6 fold increased odds of not returning to work after injury odds ratio = 5.57 (95% confidence interval = 2.51, 12.37) when compared with previously working patients without PTSD or depression. CONCLUSIONS: PTSD and depression occur frequently and are independently associated with enduring impairments after injury hospitalization. Early acute care interventions targeting these disorders have the potential to improve functional recovery after injury.