By Heather Marsh and Jayne Davis, DCoE Public Affairs
Dr. Robert Ciulla, right, National Center for Telehealth and Technology mobile health program chief, demonstrates mobile device applications the center developed. (Photo by Ingrid Barrentine)
More than 50 military providers learned about the use of mobile technology in mental health care at a workshop Jan. 29-30. The National Center for Telehealth and Technology (T2) hosted the event at Joint Base Andrews, Md., to help providers understand how their patients can benefit from technology.
“Approximately 66 percent of active-duty members and 52 percent of reservists are digital natives who grew up using mobile technology and are willing to embrace new applications,” said Air Force Col. Rick Campise, T2 National Capital Region deputy director.
The workshop featured T2’s delivery of evidenced-based technologies, demonstrations of mobile applications and interactive websites (such as the T2 site Afterdeployment), and virtual treatment options.
Some attendees were already familiar with T2 mobile apps.
“One of the apps I like to recommend to patients is ‘Breathe2Relax’,” said Air Force Captain Abby Diehl, psychology resident, Malcolm Grow Medical Clinic and Surgery Center, Joint Base Andrews. “In my clinical health psychology rotation, lots of patients experience stress that interacts with their medical condition and it’s helpful to have a tool they can use at all times to practice additional relaxation skills.”
Hands-on Experience
Because posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is an important topic in military health care, participants reviewed the T2 provider app, “PE Coach,” a tool that helps with prolonged exposure therapy for PTSD patients.
Through role playing, attendees learned how to explain the app to patients and tested various functions. They spent extra time learning about the app scheduling feature — it helps PTSD patients organize their schedules better to help remember appointments and stay on task with treatment.
“’PE Coach’ is efficient for patients because they can keep track of their homework assignments and not forget them when they return for a follow-up session … which keeps us on track,” said Navy Lt. Sandra Jimenez, Walter Reed National Military Medical Center psychologist.
Appropriate Use of Technology
Presenters highlighted practical, logistical, ethical and clinical considerations of using technology to treat patients. They also talked about the importance of understanding a patient’s comfort level with technology.
“Apps are meant to [help patients],” said Dr. Barbara Olasov Rothbaum, Emory School of Medicine professor in psychiatry and associate vice chair of clinical research, department of psychiatry and behavioral sciences. “If patients don’t understand it, have difficulty operating it, feel nervous about it — [they] won’t use it.”
While mobile apps and virtual reality aren’t suited for all patients, some prefer using technology for health care.
“It’s true that technology tools are not the solution for everyone or every situation,” said Campise. “But as providers, we need to prepare for and support the many patients who are interested in and benefit from using these tools.”
Participant Feedback
While most attendees knew about mobile tools, they were happy to discover more and found the training helpful.
“Technology is so much a part of our daily lives, if we didn’t find a way to incorporate apps and other tools into our treatment we’d miss out on opportunities to engage our patients and learn how they’re interacting with the real world.”
–Diehl
“I didn’t know some of these technologies we learned about today existed, so this has been a very informative exercise for me.”
–Jimenez
“This workshop will definitely make it more likely that I’ll continue to use technology tools in my practice.”
–Augusto Ruiz, PhD., psychiatrist, deployment health psychologist at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Bethesda, Md.
“I feel like I’m already tech savvy and have used some technologies in my practice. The advantage [of today] is seeing how others are using them and gathering ideas on more possibilities for treating patients using technology tools.”
–Air Force Capt. Paul Williams, psychology resident, Malcolm Grow Medical Clinic and Surgery Center, Joint Base Andrews
What’s Next?
T2 will host a second technology workshop May 15-16, 2014, at Joint Base San Antonio, Texas.
“Hosting workshops in the communities where behavioral health clinicians train lets them talk with their peers about how to use and apply these technologies in a practical way,” said Campise. “It also respects the Defense Department budget restrictions on travel costs by bringing the training to the providers.”
