Study Design

There are two primary components of this project: a survey of mental health providers, and discussions with key informants.

Mental Health Provider Survey

survey,question,ask,employment,employee,satisfaction,pencil,HR,form,document,paper,agree,work,job,positive,yes,satisfied,opinion,feedback,comment,questionnaire,customer,complain,complaint. photo by zimmytws/Fotolia

RAND administered a web-based, confidential survey of mental health providers working at military treatment facilities to assess care for service members with PTSD and depression. This survey was approved through the necessary military channels, and given the Report Control Symbol (RCS): DD-USA(OT)2594.

Survey Content

The survey, titled "Caring for PTSD and Depression in the Military Health System," assessed characteristics of the provider’s practice (e.g., caseload, proportion of the caseload with PTSD or depression), provider training and therapeutic orientation, treatment practices, and facilitators and barriers to providing high-quality mental health care.

Population and Sample Design

The study seeks to describe the characteristics of mental health providers who are active duty or civilian government employees. From this population, we selected a stratified random sample of providers and invited that group to participate in the RAND survey. Among those invited to participate in the survey, providers who indicated that they had treated at least one adult patient with PTSD or depression in the preceding month were eligible to complete the survey.

Timeline

The survey was administered February to April 2016. Results will be available late spring 2017

Key Informant Discussions

U.S. Army Maj. Mark Clancy, commander of Alpha Company, 486th Civil Affairs Battalion, Oklahoma Army Reserves, speaks with development experts. Photo by Staff Sgt. Richard Andrade

The research team identified experts who are knowledgeable about (1) the organization and delivery of mental health care within the MHS, (2) current efforts to measure quality of care, or (3) initiatives to assess system performance and improve the quality of mental health care. Identified experts for this component of the research had assigned duties related to the oversight and delivery of mental health care and were asked to provide insights based upon their official position and responsibilities.

Timeline

These discussions were conducted February to July 2016. Results will be available late spring 2017.