Patient-Centered Collaborative Care for Preventing Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder After Traumatic Injury (TSOS II)

Patient-Centered Collaborative Care for Preventing Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder After Traumatic Injury

This study will evaluate the effectiveness of patient-centered collaborative care that combines behavioral therapy and drug therapy as compared to usual care in reducing symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder in people who have survived a traumatic injury.

Approximately 2.5 million people in the U.S. are hospitalized each year having sustained injuries during a traumatic event. Injured trauma survivors are at high risk for developing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other related conditions. In addition, many of these people experience several physical, financial, social, legal, and medical problems over the course of the year following the trauma. Effective interventions to prevent or remedy these issues have yet to be developed for individuals who undergo inpatient surgery following a traumatic injury and who then continue with outpatient treatment and community rehabilitation. This study will evaluate the effectiveness of patient-centered collaborative care that combines behavioral therapy and drug therapy as compared to usual care in reducing symptoms of PTSD and substance use. The study will also assess the intervention's effectiveness in increasing participants' general functioning and satisfaction with their care post-injury. Participants in this open label study will be randomly assigned to receive either the standard care provided to injured trauma survivors or a combination of behavioral therapy and drug therapy. Participants assigned to receive the combination therapy may receive one or more of the following medications based on their individual needs: fluoxetine; sertraline; paroxetine; buspirone; propranolol; trazodone; and any of the benzodiazepines. Participants may begin receiving medication immediately or anytime within the 12 months post-injury. Behavioral therapy will also be administered on the basis of the participants' individual needs and may continue for up to 12 months. Participants will also take part in motivational interviews, the first of which will be conducted upon study entry in the hospital ward. Subsequent interviews will be conducted over the phone at Months 1, 3, 6, 9, and 12. Participants will be required to report to the study site only for the initial baseline visit. Outcome measures will include PTSD severity ratings, frequency of substance use, and general functioning reports.

Behavioral therapy includes standard cognitive behavioral therapy, with an emphasis on behavioral activation. Treatment is administered on the basis of the participants' individual needs and may continue for up to 12 months.

Participants assigned to receive the combination therapy may receive one or more of the following medications based on their individual needs: fluoxetine, sertraline, paroxetine, buspirone, propranolol, trazodone, and any of the benzodiazepines. Participants may begin receiving medication immediately or anytime within the 12 months post-injury. Form, dosage, frequency, and duration depend on patient need, but all are prescribed in accordance with standards of care.

Inclusion Criteria: English-speaking Admitted to Harborview Medical Center with injuries sufficiently severe to require inpatient admission Experienced a traumatic injury Exhibits symptoms of PTSD while in the hospital ward Exclusion Criteria: History of head, spinal, or other injury that may prevent participation in the ward interview Requires immediate intervention due to conditions such as self-inflicted injury, active psychosis, or active mania Currently incarcerated Likely to face criminal charges Lives more than 50-100 miles from Harborview Medical Center

Zatzick D, Roy-Byrne P, Russo J, Rivara F, Droesch R, Wagner A, Dunn C, Jurkovich G, Uehara E, Katon W. A randomized effectiveness trial of stepped collaborative care for acutely injured trauma survivors. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2004 May;61(5):498-506. doi: 10.1001/archpsyc.61.5.498.

Zatzick DF, Rivara FP, Nathens AB, Jurkovich GJ, Wang J, Fan MY, Russo J, Salkever DS, Mackenzie EJ. A nationwide US study of post-traumatic stress after hospitalization for physical injury. Psychol Med. 2007 Oct;37(10):1469-80. doi: 10.1017/S0033291707000943. Epub 2007 Jun 11.

Zatzick DF, Russo J, Pitman RK, Rivara F, Jurkovich G, Roy-Byrne P. Reevaluating the association between emergency department heart rate and the development of posttraumatic stress disorder: A public health approach. Biol Psychiatry. 2005 Jan 1;57(1):91-5. doi: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2004.10.005.

Zatzick D, Jurkovich G, Rivara FP, Russo J, Wagner A, Wang J, Dunn C, Lord SP, Petrie M, O'connor SS, Katon W. A randomized stepped care intervention trial targeting posttraumatic stress disorder for surgically hospitalized injury survivors. Ann Surg. 2013 Mar;257(3):390-9. doi: 10.1097/SLA.0b013e31826bc313.

Our study is no longer recruiting, if you are seeking care for PSTD from Harborview Medical Center please follow the link above.