Randomized controlled trial investigating web-based, therapist delivered eye movement desensitization and reprocessing for adults with suicidal ideation.

Introduction: Promising preliminary evidence suggests that EMDR may reduce suicidal ideation (SI) when used to treat Major Depressive Disorder, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, and trauma symptoms in the context of acute mental health crises. EMDR has never been tested specifically for treating SI, and there is a lack of data regarding the safety and effectiveness of web-based, therapist-delivered EMDR in populations with known SI. The primary objective of this study was to investigate the impact of web-based, therapist-delivered EMDR, targeting experiences associated with suicidal thinking. Secondary objectives included examining the effect of EMDR treatment on symptoms of depression, anxiety, posttraumatic stress, emotional dysregulation, and dissociation, as well as safety and attrition. Methods: This randomized control trial (ClinicalTrials.gov ID number: NCT04181047) assigned adult outpatients reporting SI to either a web-based EMDR intervention or a treatment as usual (TAU) group. TAU included primary and mental health services available within the Canadian public health system. Participants in the EMDR group received up to 12 web-based EMDR desensitization sessions, delivered twice weekly during the COVID-19 pandemic (2021-2023). The Health Research Ethics Board at the University of Alberta approved the protocol prior to initiation of data collection for this study (protocol ID number: Pro00090989). Results: Forty-two adult outpatients received either EMDR (n=20) or TAU (n=22). Participants reported a high prevalence of early onset and chronic SI, and there was a high rate of psychiatric comorbidity. In the EMDR group, median SI, depression, anxiety, and posttraumatic symptom scale scores decreased from baseline to the four month follow-up. In the TAU group, only the median SI and posttraumatic symptom scale scores decreased from baseline to four month follow up. Although sample size precludes direct comparison, there were numerically fewer adverse events and fewer dropouts in the EMDR group relative to the TAU group. Conclusion: Study results provide promising preliminary evidence that web-based EMDR may be a viable delivery approach to address SI. In this complex population, a short treatment course was associated with reductions of SI and other symptoms across multiple diagnostic categories. Further investigation is warranted to verify and extend these results. Clinical Trial Registration: https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT04181047?id=NCT04181047&rank=1, identifier NCT04181047.

Synchronous Web-Based Psychotherapy for Mental Disorders From a Health Quality Perspective: Scoping Review.

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic necessitated rapid changes to health care delivery, including a shift from in-person to digitally delivered psychotherapy. While these changes helped ensure timely psychotherapy provision, many concerns exist, including clinical, cultural, practical, privacy, and security issues. OBJECTIVE: This scoping review systematically mapped existing peer-reviewed research on synchronous, therapist-delivered web-based psychotherapy for individuals with a diagnosed mental illness. Data were analyzed through the lens of the Alberta Quality Matrix for Health (AQMH) to assess to what degree this literature addresses key indicators of health care quality. This analysis aided in the identification and organization of knowledge gaps with regard to web-based psychotherapies, highlighting potential disparities between previously prioritized dimensions of care and those requiring further attention. METHODS: This review adhered to the PRISMA-ScR (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Extension for Scoping Reviews) guidelines. We included peer-reviewed primary research studies in the English language investigating synchronous, therapist-delivered remote psychotherapy delivered to adults (aged 18 years and older) with a Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders or International Statistical Classification of Diseases diagnosed mental illness. All other citations were excluded. Relevant studies were identified through MEDLINE, APA PsycINFO, Embase (OVID), Web of Science: Core Collection (Clarivate), Cochrane Library (Wiley), and Scopus (Elsevier) databases. Databases were searched on March 18, 2021. For every publication that was taken into consideration, the data were charted independently by 2 reviewers, and in the event of a discrepancy, the principal investigator validated the choice of either extractor. Results were thematically described according to the 6 AQMH dimensions: acceptability, accessibility, appropriateness, effectiveness, efficiency, and safety. RESULTS: From 13,209 publications, 48 articles were included, largely from North American studies. Most studies measured treatment effectiveness (n=48, 100%) and acceptability (n=29, 60%) health quality dimensions. Over 80% (40/48) of studies investigated either a cognitive or exposure intervention for either posttraumatic stress disorder or a mood or anxiety disorder, generally indicating comparable results to in-person therapy. Safety (n=5, 10%) was measured in fewer studies, while treatment accessibility, appropriateness, and efficiency were not explicitly measured in any study, although these dimensions were mentioned as a future direction, hypothesis, or potential outcome. CONCLUSIONS: In relation to web-based therapist-delivered psychotherapies for those with a diagnosed mental illness, important aspects of health care quality (accessibility, appropriateness, efficiency, and safety) have received little scientific examination, underscoring a need to address these gaps. There are also significant issues related to the generalizability of this literature, including the underrepresentation of many geographic regions, cultures, populations, clinical contexts, and psychotherapy modalities. Qualitative research in underrepresented populations and settings may uncover important patient and contextual factors important for the future implementation of quality web-based psychotherapy.

Shifting to Trauma-Informed Care in Inpatient Psychiatry: A Case Study of an Individual with Dissociative PTSD Undergoing EMDR Therapy.

Caring for patients with personality disorders can be challenging due to risks associated with suicidal ideation, homicidal threats, splitting, and acting out with problematic behavior in psychiatric inpatient units. Limited resources on inpatient units further add to the stress and burden on staff. This case summarizes how trauma-informed care was implemented in an inpatient setting to produce marked improvement in a patient's treatment outcomes as well as better staff engagement and satisfaction. This culture change in the approach to care was not an easy process, as effortful planning and resources were required for key elements such as ongoing coaching, education, and regular staff debriefings. This case report signals the need for service providers to enable health systems to examine rules and exceptions from a cultural perspective of considering equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI)-to allow openness to rational exceptions, even if they are unconventional.

A systematic scoping review of dissociation in borderline personality disorder and implications for research and clinical practice: Exploring the fog.

BACKGROUND: Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) is frequently complicated by the presence of dissociative symptoms. Pathological dissociation is linked with earlier and more severe trauma exposure, emotional dysregulation and worse treatment outcomes in Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Dissociative Disorders, with implications for BPD. OBJECTIVE: A systematic scoping review was conducted to assess the extent of current literature regarding the impact of dissociation on BPD and to identify knowledge gaps. METHODS: Four electronic databases (MEDLINE, APA PsycINFO, EMBASE, CINAHL Plus) were searched, and English peer-reviewed studies with adults with BPD were included, following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) extension for scoping reviews (PRISMA-ScR) 2018 guidelines. RESULTS: Most of the 70 included studies were observational (98%) with first authors from Germany (59%). Overall, dissociation was associated with increased BPD symptom severity, self-harm and reduced psychotherapy treatment response; findings regarding suicide risk were mixed. Dissociation was associated with working memory and cognitive deficits, decreased pain perception, altered body ownership, no substance abuse or the abuse of sedative substances, increased fantasy proneness, personality fragmentation, fearful attachment, dream anxiety, perceived stress and altered stress responses, increased cumulative body mass index, decreased water consumption, several neurological correlates and changes in gene expression. CONCLUSION: BPD with significant dissociative symptoms may constitute a more severe and at-risk subgroup of BPD patients. However, there are significant research gaps and methodological issues in the area, including the possibility of unrecognized Dissociative Disorders in BPD study populations confounding results. Further studies are needed to better understand the impact of dissociation on BPD course and treatment, and to clarify the most appropriate assessment tools for clinical practice. In addition, interventional studies are needed to develop dissociation-specific BPD treatments to determine whether targeting dissociation in BPD can improve treatment outcomes.

Web-Based Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing for Adults With Suicidal Ideation: Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial.

BACKGROUND: Adversity and traumatic experiences increase the likelihood of suicidal thoughts and behaviors. Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is an evidence-based, trauma-focused psychotherapy that desensitizes painful memories, so that reminders in the present no longer provoke overwhelming emotional responses. Preliminary evidence suggests that EMDR can be used as an acute intervention in suicidal patients, including those with major depressive disorder. In addition, because of social distancing restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic, clinicians have been using EMDR on the web and, in the absence of formal evaluations of web-based EMDR, informal reports indicate good results. OBJECTIVE: The primary aim of this randomized controlled trial is to investigate whether remotely delivered EMDR (targeting experiences associated with suicidal thinking) reduces suicidal thoughts. Secondary aims include examining the impact of remotely delivered EMDR on symptoms of depression, anxiety, posttraumatic stress, emotional dysregulation, and dissociation. We will also report on adverse events in the EMDR group to explore whether targeting suicidal ideation with EMDR is safe. Finally, we will compare dropout rates between the treatment groups. METHODS: In this randomized controlled trial, 80 adults who express suicidal ideation and meet the study criteria will receive either 12 sessions of twice weekly EMDR plus treatment as usual or treatment as usual alone. EMDR sessions will focus on the most distressing and intrusive memories associated with suicidal ideation. Data for primary and secondary objectives will be collected at baseline, 2 months, and 4 months after enrollment. A subsequent longer-term analysis, beyond the scope of this protocol, will examine differences between the groups with respect to the number of posttreatment emergency room visits, hospitalizations, and overall health care use in the year before and after therapy. RESULTS: The protocol was approved by the University of Alberta Research Health Ethics Board (protocol ID Pro00090989). Funding for this study was provided by the Mental Health Foundation (grant RES0048906). Recruitment started in May 2021, with a projected completion date of March 2023. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this trial will contribute to knowledge on whether web-based delivery of EMDR is a safe and effective treatment for reducing suicidal ideation and potentially reducing the incidence of suicide attempts in this patient population. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04181047; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04181047. INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID): DERR1-10.2196/30711.

Virtual Trauma-Focused Therapy for Military Members, Veterans, and Public Safety Personnel With Posttraumatic Stress Injury: Systematic Scoping Review.

BACKGROUND: A necessary shift from in-person to remote delivery of psychotherapy (eg, teletherapy, eHealth, videoconferencing) has occurred because of the COVID-19 pandemic. A corollary benefit is a potential fit in terms of the need for equitable and timely access to mental health services in remote and rural locations. Owing to COVID-19, there may be an increase in the demand for timely, virtual delivery of services among trauma-affected populations, including public safety personnel (PSP; eg, paramedics, police, fire, correctional officers), military members, and veterans. There is a lack of evidence on the question of whether digital delivery of trauma-therapies for military members, veterans, and PSP leads to similar outcomes to in-person delivery. Information on barriers and facilitators and recommendations regarding digital-delivery is also scarce. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to evaluate the scope and quality of peer-reviewed literature on psychotherapeutic digital health interventions delivered remotely to military members, veterans, and PSP and synthesize the knowledge of needs, gaps, barriers to, and facilitators for virtual assessment of and virtual interventions for posttraumatic stress injury. METHODS: Relevant studies were identified using MEDLINE (Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online), EMBASE (Excerpta Medica dataBASE), APA (American Psychological Association) PsycINFO, CINAHL (Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health Literature) Plus with Full Text, and Military & Government Collection. For collation, analysis, summarizing, and reporting of results, we used the CASP (Critical Skills Appraisal Program) qualitative checklist, PEDro (Physiotherapy Evidence Database) scale, level of evidence hierarchy, PRISMA-ScR (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews), and narrative synthesis. RESULTS: A total of 38 studies were included in this review. Evidence for the effectiveness of digital delivery of prolonged exposure therapy, cognitive processing therapy, behavioral activation treatment with therapeutic exposure to military members, veterans, and PSP was rated level 1a, whereas evidence for cognitive behavioral therapy was conflicting. The narrative synthesis indicated that virtual delivery of these therapies can be as effective as in-person delivery but may reduce stigma and cost while increasing access to therapy. Issues of risk, safety, potential harm (ie, suicidality, enabling avoidance), privacy, security, and the match among the therapist, modality, and patient warrant further consideration. There is a lack of studies on the influences of gender, racial, and cultural factors that may result in differential outcomes, preferences, and/or needs. An investigation into other therapies that may be suitable for digital delivery is needed. CONCLUSIONS: Digital delivery of trauma therapies for military members, veterans, and PSP is a critical area for further research. Although promising evidence exists regarding the effectiveness of digital health within these populations, many questions remain, and a cautious approach to more widespread implementation is warranted.

Asociación entre la presencia de estudiantes de medicina y los indicadores de calidad en pacientes obstétricas en un hospital universitario de Bogotá, Colombia: estudio de corte transversal / A cross-sectional study of the association between the presence of medical students attending obstetric patients and indicators of their healthcare quality in a teaching hospital in Bogotá, Colombia

Objetivo: determinar si la presencia de estudiantes de medicina se asocia a diferencias en los indicadores de calidad de la atención y en la satisfacción de las pacientes obstétricas. Materiales y métodos: estudio de corte transversal. Se incluyeron pacientes hospitalizadas para atención de parto durante dos periodos: uno con la presencia estudiantes y otro sin estudiantes de medicina en el servicio de Obstetricia del Hospital Universitario Clínica San Rafael de Bogotá (HUCSR), institución general de alta complejidad, durante el periodo comprendido entre el primero de diciembre de 2005 y el 15 marzo de 2006. Tamaño muestral estimado: 278 pacientes. Se midieron las variables sociodemográficas, los antecedentes obstétricos, los resultados maternos y perinatales, los indicadores de satisfacción desde el punto de vista de la paciente, y la duración de la estancia hospitalaria. Resultados: los dos grupos comparados fueron similares en sus características basales. No se encontraron mayores diferencias en la estancia, incidencia de infecciones, porcentaje de cesáreas y satisfacción de la paciente. Conclusiones: la presencia de estudiantes de medicina no se encuentra asociada a malos resultados maternos o perinatales o a la satisfacción con la atención recibida. Se requieren estudios controlados adicionales para determinar con mayor validez el verdadero impacto de la rotación de estudiantes de medicina en la calidad de la atención y la satisfacción de las usuarias.

Objective: Determining whether the presence of medical students is associated with differences in indicators of obstetric patients’ healthcare quality and their satisfaction with such service. Materials and methods: A cross-sectional study was carried on obstetric patients hospitalized for labor and delivery from 1st December 2005 to 15th March 2006 at the San Rafael teaching hospital. This is a high complexity general institution located in Bogota, Colombia. There were two study periods; the first did not involve medical students whereas they were present during the second study period Estimated sample size was 278 patients. Sociodemographic variables, obstetric background, maternal and perinatal results and indicators of patient satisfaction and hospital stay duration (in hours) were measured. Results: Comparing both groups revealed similar base characteristics; no major differences were presented regarding hospital stay, incidence of infection, percentage of caesareans or patient satisfaction. Conclusions: The presence of medical students around obstetric patients was not associated with poor maternal or perinatal results or patient satisfaction with the attention being received. Further controlled studies (implying greater validity) are required for determining the true impact of rotating medical students regarding the quality of healthcare attention and user satisfaction.