A pilot trial of telephone-based collaborative care management for PTSD among Iraq/Afghanistan war veterans

Abstract Background: Collaborative care and care management are cornerstones of Primary Care-Mental Health Integration (PC-MHI) and have been shown to reduce depressive symptoms. Historically, the standard of Veterans Affairs (VA) collaborative care was referring patients with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) to specialty care. Although referral to evidence-based specialty care is ideal, many veterans with PTSD do not receive such care. To address this issue and reduce barriers to care, VA currently recommends veterans with PTSD be offered treatment within PC-MHI as an alternative. The current project outlines a pilot implementation of an established telephone-based collaborative care model—Translating Initiatives for Depression into Effective Solutions (TIDES)—adapted for Iraq/Afghanistan War veterans with PTSD symptoms (TIDES/PTSD) seen in a postdeployment primary care clinic. Materials and Methods: Structured medical record extraction and qualitative data collection procedures were used to evaluate...