Randomized Controlled Trial of a Web‐Based Intervention to Disseminate Clinical Practice Guidelines for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: The PTSD Clinicians Exchange

Abstract

Delivery of best-practice care for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a priority for clinicians working with active duty military personnel and veterans. The PTSD Clinicians Exchange, an Internet-based intervention, was designed to assist in disseminating clinically relevant information and resources that support delivery of key practices endorsed in the Veterans Administration (VA)-Department of Defense (DoD) Clinical Practice Guidelines (CPG) for the Management of Posttraumatic Stress. We conducted a randomized controlled trial to examine the effectiveness of the Clinicians Exchange intervention in increasing familiarity and perceived benefits of 26 CPG-related and emerging practices. The intervention consisted of ongoing access to an Internet resource featuring best-in-class resources for practices, self-management of burnout, and biweekly e-mail reminders highlighting selected practices. Mental health clinicians (N = 605) were recruited from three service sectors (VA, DoD, community); 32.7% of participants assigned to the Internet intervention accessed the site to view resources. Individuals who were offered the intervention increased their practice familiarity ratings significantly more than those assigned to a newsletter-only control condition, d = 0.27, p = .005. From baseline to 12-months, mean familiarity ratings of clinicians in the intervention group increased from 3.0 to 3.4 on scale of 1 (not at all) to 5 (extremely); mean ratings for the control group were 3.2 at both assessments. Clinicians generally viewed the CPG practices favorably, rating them as likely to benefit their clients. The results suggest that Internet-based resources may aid more comprehensive efforts to disseminate CPGs, but increasing clinician engagement will be important.Across multiple sectors of health care service delivery, a significant gap exists between best practices as specified in clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) and the care provided during routine treatment. Many providers continue to lack the knowledge,

Evaluation of Two Educational Modalities for the Clinical Practice Guideline for Opioid Therapy for Chronic Pain for US Military Physicians

“…One study that evaluated the effect of a web-based intervention to disseminate CPG for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among clinicians, including VA and DoD providers, found that web-based resources may support comprehensive efforts to disseminate CPG. 11 Another study that tested an online military-focused PTSD training for primary care practitioners in VA hospitals found that the training improved providers' PTSD knowledge. 12 There remains, however, a gap in understanding the degree to which these types of interventions can aid military medical providers' uptake of clinical practice guidelines as it relates to OT for chronic pain.…”