Veterans' Experiences of and Preferences for Patient-Centered, Measurement-Based PTSD Care

Up to 50% of veterans drop out of trauma-focused evidence-based psychotherapies (TF-EBP) without completing treatment or recovering; evidence suggests this is in part because their posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) care is insufficiently patient-centered. There is also evidence that measurement-based care (MBC) for mental health should be personalized to the patient, yet this is not common practice in VA PTSD care.

To explore veterans' experiences and preferences for aligning measurement-based PTSD care with their own treatment goals.

Qualitative interviews were conducted with veterans (n=15) with PTSD who had received at least 2 sessions of a TF-EBP.

Survey on the administration of outcomes questionnaires and demographics and an interview about their most recent TF-EBP episode.

Half of veterans had symptom-focused goals and half did not; all had at least one treatment goal that was not symptom-focused. They typically met their goals about functioning and coping skills but not their symptom reduction goals. We found veterans overall were receptive to MBC but preferred patient-reported outcomes measures about functioning, wellbeing, coping skills, and understanding their trauma more than the commonly used PTSD symptom scale (the PCL-5).

Many veterans in this sample disliked the PCL-5 because it reinforced their maladaptive cognitions. Such veterans might be more receptive to MBC if offered patient-report outcomes measures that better align with their functional and wellbeing goals. For many goal/outcome areas, psychometrically sound measures exist and require better implementation in PTSD care. For some areas, scale development is needed.