Diagnosis of PTSD by Army Behavioral Health Clinicians: Are Diagnoses Recorded in Electronic Health Records?

OBJECTIVE

The study sought to identify the extent to which posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) diagnoses are recorded in the electronic health record (EHR) in Army behavioral health clinics and to assess clinicians' reasons for not recording them and treatment factors associated with recording or not recording the diagnosis.

METHODS

A total of 543 Army mental health providers completed the anonymous, Web-based survey. Clinicians reported clinical data for 399 service member patients, of whom 110 (28%) had a reported PTSD diagnosis. Data were weighted to account for sampling design and nonresponses.

RESULTS

Of those given a diagnosis of PTSD by their clinician, 59% were reported to have the diagnosis recorded in the EHR, and 41% did not. The most common reason for not recording was reducing stigma or protecting the service member's career prospects. Psychiatrists were more likely than psychologists or social workers to record the diagnosis.

CONCLUSIONS

Findings indicate that for many patients presenting with PTSD in Army behavioral health clinics at the time of the survey (2010), clinicians did not record a PTSD diagnosis in the EHR, often in an effort to reduce stigma. This pattern may exist for other diagnoses. Recent Army policy has provided guidance to clinicians on diagnostic recording practice. An important implication concerns the reliance on coded diagnoses in PTSD surveillance efforts by the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD). The problem of underestimated prevalence rates may be further compounded by overly narrow DoD surveillance definitions of PTSD.

Prevalence of Professional Burnout Among Military Mental Health Service Providers

OBJECTIVE

Professional burnout is a well-documented occupational phenomenon, characterized by the gradual "wearing away" of an individual's physical and mental well-being, resulting in a variety of adverse job-related outcomes. It has been suggested that burnout is more common in occupations that require close interpersonal relationships, such as mental health services.

METHODS

This study surveyed 488 mental health clinicians working with military populations about work-related outcomes, including level of professional burnout, job satisfaction, and other work-related domains.

RESULTS

Approximately 21% (weighted) of the sample reported elevated levels of burnout; several domains were found to be significantly associated with burnout.

CONCLUSIONS

Education about professional burnout symptoms and early intervention are essential to ensure that providers continue to provide optimal care for service members and veterans.

The prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in US combat soldiers: a head-to-head comparison of DSM-5 versus DSM-IV-TR symptom criteria with the PTSD checklist

BACKGROUND

The definition of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) underwent substantial changes in the 2013 edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5). How this will affect estimates of prevalence, whether clinical utility has been improved, and how many individuals who meet symptom criteria according to the previous definition will not meet new criteria is unknown. Updated screening instruments, including the PTSD checklist (PCL), have not been compared with previously validated methods through head-to-head comparisons.

METHODS

We compared the new 20-item PCL, mapped to DSM-5 (PCL-5), with the original validated 17-item specific stressor version (PCL-S) in 1822 US infantry soldiers, including 946 soldiers who had been deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan. Surveys were administered in November, 2013. Soldiers alternately received either of two surveys that were identical except for the order of the two PCL versions (911 per group). Standardised scales measured major depression, generalised anxiety, alcohol misuse, and functional impairment.

RESULTS

In analysis of all soldiers, 224 (13%) screened positive for PTSD by DSM-IV-TR criteria and 216 (12%) screened positive by DSM-5 criteria (κ 0·67). In soldiers exposed to combat, 177 (19%) screened positive by DSM-IV-TR and 165 (18%) screened positive by DSM-5 criteria (0·66). However, of 221 soldiers with complete data who met DSM-IV-TR criteria, 67 (30%) did not meet DSM-5 criteria, and 59 additional soldiers met only DSM-5 criteria. PCL-5 scores from 15-38 performed similarly to PCL-S scores of 30-50; a PCL-5 score of 38 gave optimum agreement with a PCL-S of 50. The two definitions showed nearly identical association with other psychiatric disorders and functional impairment.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings showed the PCL-5 to be equivalent to the validated PCL-S. However, the new PTSD symptom criteria do not seem to have greater clinical utility, and a high percentage of soldiers who met criteria by one definition did not meet the other criteria. Clinicians need to consider how to manage discordant outcomes, particularly for service members and veterans with PTSD who no longer meet criteria under DSM-5.

FUNDING

US Army Military Operational Medicine Research Program (MOMRP), Fort Detrick, MD.

Mental health outcomes in US and UK military personnel returning from Iraq

BACKGROUND

Research of military personnel who deployed to the conflicts in Iraq or Afghanistan has suggested that there are differences in mental health outcomes between UK and US military personnel.

AIMS

To compare the prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), hazardous alcohol consumption, aggressive behaviour and multiple physical symptoms in US and UK military personnel deployed to Iraq.

METHOD

Data were from one US (n = 1560) and one UK (n = 313) study of post-deployment military health of army personnel who had deployed to Iraq during 2007-2008. Analyses were stratified by high- and low-combat exposure.

RESULTS

Significant differences in combat exposure and sociodemographics were observed between US and UK personnel; controlling for these variables accounted for the difference in prevalence of PTSD, but not in the total symptom level scores. Levels of hazardous alcohol consumption (low-combat exposure: odds ratio (OR) = 0.13, 95% CI 0.07-0.21; high-combat exposure: OR = 0.23, 95% CI 0.14-0.39) and aggression (low-combat exposure: OR = 0.36, 95% CI 0.19-0.68) were significantly lower in US compared with UK personnel. There was no difference in multiple physical symptoms.

CONCLUSIONS

Differences in self-reported combat exposures explain most of the differences in reported prevalence of PTSD. Adjusting for self-reported combat exposures and sociodemographics did not explain differences in hazardous alcohol consumption or aggression.

Use of evidence-based treatment for posttraumatic stress disorder in Army behavioral healthcare

OBJECTIVE

To identify the extent to which evidence-based psychotherapy (EBP) and psychopharmacologic treatments for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are provided to U.S. service members in routine practice, and the degree to which they are consistent with evidence-based treatment guidelines.

METHOD

We surveyed the majority of Army behavioral health providers (n = 2,310); surveys were obtained from 543 (26%). These clinicians reported clinical data on a total sample of 399 service member patients. Of these patients, 110 (28%) had a reported PTSD diagnosis. Data were weighted to account for sampling design and nonresponses.

RESULTS

Army providers reported 86% of patients with PTSD received evidence-based psychotherapy (EBP) for PTSD. As formal training hours in EBPs increased, reported use of EBPs significantly increased. Although EBPs for PTSD were reported to be widely used, clinicians who deliver EBP frequently reported not adhering to all core procedures recommended in treatment manuals; less than half reported using all the manualized core EBP techniques.

CONCLUSIONS

Further research is necessary to understand why clinicians modify EBP treatments, and what impact this has on treatment outcomes. More data regarding the implications for treatment effectiveness and the role of clinical context, patient preferences, and clinical decision-making in adapting EBPs could help inform training efforts and the ways that these treatments may be better adapted for the military.

Posttraumatic stress disorder associated with combat service in Iraq or Afghanistan: reconciling prevalence differences between studies

Studies of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) prevalence associated with deployment to Iraq or Afghanistan report wide variability, making interpretation and projection for research and public health purposes difficult. This article placed this literature within a military context. Studies were categorized according to deployment time-frame, screening case definition, and study group (operational infantry units exposed to direct combat versus population samples with a high proportion of support personnel). Precision weighted averages were calculated using a fixed-effects meta-analysis. Using a specific case definition, the weighted postdeployment PTSD prevalence was 5.5% (95% CI, 5.4-5.6) in population samples and 13.2% (12.8-13.7) in operational infantry units. Both population-level and unit-specific studies provided valuable and unique information for public health purposes; understanding the military context is essential for interpreting prevalence studies.