Changes in Service Use After Participation in an Intensive Outpatient Program Among Adults With Posttraumatic Stress...

Area of Science:

• Psychiatry
• Mental Health Services Research

Background:

• Intensive outpatient programs (IOPs) show promise in reducing posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms.
• The impact of IOP participation on acute psychiatric service utilization in PTSD patients requires further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the association between IOP participation and subsequent inpatient psychiatric and mental health-related emergency department (ED) encounters among patients diagnosed with PTSD.

Main Methods:

• A retrospective cohort study of 258 adults with PTSD who engaged in an IOP.
• Comparison of inpatient psychiatric hospitalizations and mental health-related ED encounters in the year preceding and the year following IOP engagement.
• Bivariate and multivariable logistic regression analyses were used to assess changes in service utilization.

Main Results:

• A significant decrease in the proportion of patients with at least one inpatient psychiatric encounter (28.7% pre-IOP vs. 15.9% post-IOP) and mental health-related ED encounters (24.8% pre-IOP vs. 18.2% post-IOP) was observed.
• Multivariable analysis revealed a 56% reduction in the odds of inpatient psychiatric encounters (aOR=0.42) and a 35% reduction in the odds of mental health-related ED encounters (aOR=0.63) post-IOP.

Conclusions:

• Participation in an IOP was associated with a significant reduction in both inpatient psychiatric hospitalizations and mental health-related ED visits for patients with PTSD.
• Findings support the integration and utilization of IOPs as a strategy to mitigate intensive service use in individuals with PTSD.