Online Program

330974
Effectiveness of a Training Program to Increase Problem Solving Treatment (PST) Knowledge among Health Professionals Working with Underserved Depressed Patients in Primary Care


Wednesday, November 4, 2015

Virna Little, PsyD, LCSW-R, SAP, Psychosocial Services and Community Affairs, Institute for Family Health NY, New York, NY
Tyler James, MPH, Psychosocial Services and Community Affairs, The Institute for Family Health, New York, NY
Dorothy Muccio, LCSW-R, Behavioral Sciences Faculty, The Institute for Family Health, Bronx, NY
background: Depression is one of the leading causes of disability among adults in the United States and is often treated within in the context of primary care setting.  Problem Solving Treatment, an evidence-based treatment for depression, is an integral component of collaborative care for depression most often delivered by behavioral health professionals in primary care practice. There is little evidence on effective "uptake" of new interventions by behavioral health staff who have completed training. Trainers from the Institute from Family Health sought to contribute to this need for knowledge by evaluating the effectiveness of their training program. This poster will report on a PST training, model that combines diadactic learning with role plays supervised by a certified PST trainer. The goal was to increase the competencies of mental and behavioral health professionals offering the Problem Solving Treatment modality for patients diagnosed with depression.

methods: Participants (clinicians) completed a 19 item questionnaire composed of true-false and multiple choice questions before and after receiving the training. Descriptive analysis was utilized to evaluate the short-term knowledge of the participants (clinicians).

findings:  Preliminary analysis shows that this training format (didactic learning plus role plays) can be an effective method for enhancing participants’ short-term knowledge of Problem Solving Treatment. The findings also showed that participants struggled with identifying their role within the brainstorming step as well as the necessary steps for evaluating a PST exercise with a patient.

implications: The format of the training was effective in increasing short term PST knowledge among health professionals with minimal exposure to PST. The data gathered from the intervention also served as a guide to help trainers revise program content areas that presented a challenge for training participants.

Learning Areas:

Administer health education strategies, interventions and programs
Conduct evaluation related to programs, research, and other areas of practice

Learning Objectives:
Identify strategies to increase knowledge of health professionals being exposed to a new model of treatment Design an effective training program for health professionals working with underserved depressed patients.

Keyword(s): Mental Health, Training

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I have extensive experience providing behavioral health services in healthcare settings as well as developing and operating community programs. I have knowledge of special populations such as HIV/AIDS, homeless and substance abuse and the chronically medically and mentally ill. Additionally I have assisted organizations nationally and internationally in the development and implementation of integrated health and behavioral health service delivery models.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.