Healing Trauma While Staying at Home: Using Telehealth to Conduct a Brief Treatment Program for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder.

Studies suggest that a three-session brief treatment program (Brief Relaxation, Education, and Trauma Healing [BREATHE]) can help treat posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and symptoms of trauma; however, the program has not been examined via telehealth. Thus, the current study evaluated the feasibility of BREATHE delivered via telehealth. The intervention included breathing retraining and psychoeducation about PTSD and trauma. Thirty participants from the community with confirmed PTSD diagnoses participated in this telehealth program. Treatment retention was high, and participants showed decreased PTSD symptoms, posttraumatic cognitions, depression, anxiety, overall psychiatric symptoms, and internalized stigma and increased resiliency at posttreatment and 3-month follow up. Results suggest that a telehealth brief treatment program for PTSD is feasible and effective for individuals with PTSD. [Journal of Psychosocial Nursing and Mental Health Services, xx(x), xx-xx.].

Positive PTSD Screening and Its Health Correlates in Patients With HIV in Urban Primary Care Settings.

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is underdiagnosed and undertreated in primary care, especially among African American individuals. The current study assessed documentation rates of PTSD and clinical health correlates among 135 predominantly African American patients with HIV and positive PTSD screens in a primary care unit. The Primary Care PTSD Screen for DSM-5 (PC-PTSD-5) and a retrospective chart review of 135 patients with HIV were conducted. On the PCPTSD-5 (cut point of 3), approximately one half of patients (49.6%; n = 67) had probable PTSD; however, only 11.9% of patients (n = 16) had a chart diagnosis of PTSD. A positive PTSD screen was associated with higher rates of depression and insomnia, but not anxiety, alcohol use, drug use, or pain in patients with HIV. Multi-morbidity of HIV, major depression, and positive PTSD screens was associated with increased risk for asthma, number of medical diagnoses, depression, insomnia, and anxiety. Findings highlight the need for trauma-informed care in primary care settings for people with PTSD and HIV. Larger samples are warranted to further explore health correlates of PTSD. [Journal of Psychosocial Nursing and Mental Health Services, xx(xx), xx-xx.].

Integrating Behavioral Health into Primary Care: The Role of Psychiatric Nursing in the Development of the Interprofessional Team.

BACKGROUND: Integrated behavioral health in a primary care setting is a paradigm shift that requires academic reconfiguration on how health care professionals are educated and trained in the clinical arena. METHOD: An academic university was able to create interprofessional didactic and clinical learning experiences for students within the Schools of Nursing, Social Work, Health Professions-Rehabilitation Counseling Department and Pharmacy resulting in improved models for patient care delivery. RESULTS: Interdisciplinary faculty developed the didactic, clinical and evaluative areas based on the HRSA grant work plan. Deliverables included 18 modules, case studies focused on population health, and team-focused standardized patient experiences to test their behavioral health and psychiatric skills in a primary care setting. CONCLUSIONS: Faculty from the different disciplines were able to collaborate on the deliverables, take the opportunities to engage students and collaborate on scholarly presentations at a national, state and local professional organizations. Academic course for interprofessional practice has been developed and implemented as an outcome of this grant.

Effectiveness of a low-cost curriculum among entry-level psychiatric rehabilitation workers.

OBJECTIVE: The Annapolis Coalition on the Behavioral Workforce recommended the creation of a portable, low-cost, and effective curriculum to train entry-level psychiatric staff. This study evaluated the effectiveness of a portable, state-financed orientation course on psychiatric rehabilitation for entry-level workers throughout Pennsylvania. METHODS: The standardized course was offered to 367 staff between September 2005 and April 2006. The trainees' pre- and postcourse scores were compared on an empirically validated measure of psychiatric rehabilitation principles and practices. The trainees' scores were also compared with the scores of a national sample of members of the United States Psychiatric Rehabilitation Association, which served as a benchmark. RESULTS: A significant and robust (d=.99) training effect was observed when the trainees' pre-post course scores were compared. The trainees' mean postcourse scores significantly exceeded those of the benchmark sample. CONCLUSIONS: A continuing education format can provide portable, low-cost, and effective basic education in psychiatric rehabilitation to entry-level workers.

The Psychiatric Rehabilitation Beliefs, Goals, and Practices Scale: sensitivity to change.

This study evaluated the Psychiatric Rehabilitation Beliefs, Goals, and Practices Scale's (PRBGP) sensitivity to change. A training curriculum in the current principles and practices of Psychiatric Rehabilitation was given to 301 practitioners in Pennsylvania. Participants completed the PRBGP Scale prior to and immediately following the two-day, twelve-hour training workshop. The training curriculum was expected to convey a substantial amount of information to these participants. The comparison between the pre-training and post-training PRBGP Scale scores of the participants found a significant and substantial difference. The PRBGP Scale reflected the expected changes in the participants' information levels. This study concluded that the PRBGP Scale was sensitive to change, and it provided a reliable and valid means of assessing the effectiveness of educational curricula in psychiatric rehabilitation.

Measuring practitioners' beliefs, goals, and practices in psychiatric rehabilitation.

This article reports on a scale to measure the psychiatric rehabilitation beliefs, goals, and practices of staff who provide services to consumers. The scale's reliability, validity, and factor structure are presented based upon 469 staff members and 191 people in rehabilitation. The scale appears to be a stable measure of staff members' knowledge of modern psychiatric rehabilitation beliefs, goals, and practices as elaborated by the field's leadership. It also appears to provide a valid measure of staff members' actual practice patterns as they relate to the consumer outcomes of empowerment, quality of life, independent living, and competitive employment. Consumers, program administrators, educators, researchers, and practitioners may find the scale useful as a measure of some of the beliefs, goals, and practices that currently define modern psychiatric rehabilitation.