From research to routine care: implementation of guided digital therapy with Spring PTSD

Area of Science:

• Mental Health
• Digital Therapeutics
• Psychiatry

Background:

• Cognitive behavioural therapy with a trauma-focus (CBT-TF) is a first-line PTSD treatment.
• Access to CBT-TF is limited by cost and logistics.
• Guided digital CBT-TF offers a scalable alternative.

Purpose of the Study:

• Evaluate the real-world effectiveness of the digital CBT-TF program, Spring PTSD.
• Assess outcomes within routine National Health Service (NHS) practice.

Main Methods:

• Adults with PTSD used Spring PTSD with therapist guidance.
• Outcomes measured: PTSD symptoms (ITQ), distress (CORE-OM, SUDS), functional impairment (WSAS), and satisfaction (CSQ-8).
• Data analyzed using paired t-tests/Wilcoxon tests, with MI and LOCF for missing data.

Main Results:

• Significant pre- to post-treatment reductions in PTSD symptoms, distress, and functional impairment observed.
• High participant satisfaction reported among those completing treatment.
• Substantial missing data and challenges in collecting identifiable information were noted.

Conclusions:

• Guided digital CBT-TF is feasible, scalable, and acceptable for PTSD treatment.
• Real-world data collection presents challenges, particularly regarding missing data and engagement assessment.
• Future evaluations require robust, integrated data collection for improved evidence quality.