Addressing Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in Primary Care
Primary Care Physicians’ Knowledge, Confidence and Screening Practices Related to PTSD Among Military Populations
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 9104994 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Rayan Joneydi (0000-0002-0596-7769, Division of Health and Environment, Durham, NC, corresponding author), Kelly A Lack (Social and Economic Policy Division), Kelly Lack (0009-0004-1230-069X, Economic Policy Institute), Lauren E W Olsho (0000-0003-4503-9745, Division of Health and Environment, Cambridge, MA), Nida H Corry (0000-0002-3303-2442, Division of Health and Environment, Durham, NC, corresponding author), Christopher Spera (Division of Health and Environment, Rockville, MD) |
| Year | 2021 |
| Volume | 59 |
| Issue | 6 |
| Pages | 557-564 |
| Publication date | 2021-06-01 |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Medical Care (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0025-7079 • E-ISSN: 1537-1948 |
| Publisher | Ovid Technologies (Wolters Kluwer Health) (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1097/mlr.0000000000001546 |
| PMID | 33827109 |
| OpenAlex | W3140773248 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 35 |
BACKGROUND: Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is an undertreated psychological condition prevalent among service members and veterans. Members of the military community often raise mental health concerns in primary care settings. However, many primary care physicians (PCPs) lack training in PTSD within the military community and may be underprepared to discuss PTSD or trauma with patients. OBJECTIVES: We assessed PCPs' knowledge of evidence-based PTSD screening and treatment practices, confidence in their abilities to provide clinical care around PTSD, and frequency of asking new patients about their military history. We also examined PCP characteristics related to these measures. RESEARCH DESIGN: We surveyed a national sample of 7426 PCPs to assess their PTSD knowledge, confidence, and military history screening practices. Data were analyzed using weighted multivariable regressions. RESULTS: Forty-three percent of PCPs reported they very often or always screened for military history and, on average, PCPs answered 41% of the PTSD knowledge items correctly. PCPs who rated their PTSD knowledge higher were more confident and more frequently screened for military history, but did not have higher knowledge scores compared with PCPs with lower self-assessed knowledge. Several PCP characteristics, such as sex, years of practice, and practice setting, predicted PTSD measures. CONCLUSIONS: PCPs have gaps in their knowledge and screening practices related to PTSD. The absence of a meaningful correlation of knowledge scores with PCP self-assessed knowledge or confidence suggests PCPs may not accurately rate their own knowledge. Targeted, evidence-based training on effective practices may promote PTSD clinical knowledge
Family medicine · Posttraumatic stress · Primary care · Psychiatry · Clinical Psychology · Healthcare professionals’ stress and burnout · Medicine · Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Research · Psychology · Psychosomatic Disorders and Their Treatments
Longitudinal Assessment of Mental Health Problems Among Active and Reserve Component Soldiers Returning From the Iraq War
Combat Duty in Iraq and Afghanistan, Mental Health Problems, and Barriers to Care
National Estimates of Exposure to Traumatic Events and PTSD Prevalence Using DSM-IV and DSM-5 Criteria
A Modified Poisson Regression Approach to Prospective Studies with Binary Data
The Association of American Medical Colleges
Primary care providers' experiences with trauma patients
Defining Urban and Rural Areas in U.S. Epidemiologic Studies
Differences in Health-Related Quality of Life in Rural and Urban Veterans
| Highly cited | No |
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