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

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.