Participatory Systems Engagement for Addiction and Mental Health Care
What You Need to Know Before You Apply
What is the purpose of this trial?
This trial tests new methods to assist Veterans with addiction and mental health issues, such as opioid and alcohol misuse, depression, and PTSD. The goal is to determine if involving patients and healthcare teams in planning and decision-making can enhance access to effective treatments. Researchers will compare this new approach, called Participatory System Dynamics—a collaborative planning and decision-making method—with traditional methods that focus on data review. VA clinics with potential for improvement in mental health care quality may be suitable participants. As an unphased trial, this study offers Veterans the chance to contribute to innovative approaches in mental health care.
Do I need to stop my current medications for this trial?
The trial information does not specify whether you need to stop taking your current medications. It's best to discuss this with the trial coordinators or your doctor.
What prior data suggests that these methods are safe for addiction and mental health care?
Research shows that Participatory System Dynamics (PSD) involves people in a system to help create and test changes before implementation. This method has been applied in areas like mental health services to understand and improve operations. Studies have not identified any direct safety issues with PSD, as it primarily involves data analysis and decision-making. PSD focuses on collaborating with people to enhance services, without involving medications or medical procedures, thus minimizing traditional safety risks.
Similarly, the Audit and Feedback (AF) approach, which uses data to improve service quality, presents no known safety concerns. Like PSD, AF aims to enhance processes without involving physical treatments.
Both PSD and AF seek to improve health service delivery, particularly in mental health and addiction care. As these methods do not involve invasive procedures, they are considered safe for participants.12345Why are researchers excited about this trial?
Researchers are excited about Participatory System Dynamics (PSD) and Audit and Feedback (AF) because these approaches aim to improve addiction and mental health care by involving entire healthcare systems and feedback loops. Unlike traditional treatments that focus primarily on individual therapy or medication, PSD engages clinics in understanding and optimizing their own processes collectively. Meanwhile, AF uses structured feedback to enhance clinical performance by providing clinics with insights into their practices compared to benchmarks. Both methods offer a fresh approach to tackling the complexities of mental health and addiction by enhancing systemic collaboration and data-driven improvements.
What evidence suggests that Participatory System Dynamics is effective for addiction and mental health care?
Research has shown that Participatory System Dynamics (PSD), one of the approaches studied in this trial, can enhance how healthcare systems deliver addiction and mental health treatments. PSD unites patients, healthcare providers, and policymakers to improve understanding and planning of treatment methods. This approach uses insights from these groups, along with data and simulation models, to expand the availability of effective treatments, helping to prevent relapse, overdose, and suicide. Studies indicate that involving all these groups leads to better decision-making and more effective care. By improving how treatments are implemented, PSD aims to ensure that more patients receive the necessary help. Another approach tested in this trial is Audit and Feedback (AF), which provides clinics with data on their performance to improve care quality.16789
Who Is on the Research Team?
Lindsey E Zimmerman, PhD
Principal Investigator
National Center for PTSD, Dissemination & Training Division
Are You a Good Fit for This Trial?
This trial is for VA divisions and outpatient clinics that are below the median in quality for treating depression, PTSD, and opioid use disorder. They must have at least a year's worth of data from 2018 but not be involved in other specific VA improvement programs or scheduled for EHR updates during the study.Inclusion Criteria
Exclusion Criteria
Timeline for a Trial Participant
Screening
Participants are screened for eligibility to participate in the trial
Intervention
Participatory System Dynamics (PSD) and Audit and Feedback (AF) interventions are implemented across 24 sites to test effectiveness in improving evidence-based practice reach.
Follow-up
Participants are monitored for the effectiveness of interventions and data is collected for analysis.
What Are the Treatments Tested in This Trial?
Interventions
- Participatory System Dynamics
Find a Clinic Near You
Who Is Running the Clinical Trial?
Palo Alto Veterans Institute for Research
Lead Sponsor