Literature Collection

Medical education has increasingly shifted towards replacing large lectures with a combination of online and smaller in-person group sessions. This study compares the efficacy of a virtual Opioid Overdose Prevention and Response Training (OOPRT) for first-year medical students with an identical in-person training. During their first unit of medical school, students in the class of 2023 (cohort 1) received OOPRT in-person and students in the class of 2024 (cohort 2) received training via Zoom. Aside from the delivery format, trainings were identical. Both cohorts completed identical surveys at medical school entry and post-training to evaluate knowledge and experiences using the Opioid Overdose Knowledge Scale, Opioid Overdose Attitudes Scale, Medical Conditions Regard Scale, and Naloxone Related Risk Compensation Beliefs. Of 430 students, 84.2% (362: 124 in cohort 1; 238 in cohort 2) completed baseline and post-training surveys. Students reported significantly improved opioid overdose knowledge and attitudes in all 4 knowledge and 3 attitudes subscales after training. Only one outcome differed by training type: knowledge of opioid overdose signs. Cohorts did not differ in opinions of training; 97.2% enjoyed it and 99.4% believed future classes should receive it. Medical students' attitudes and knowledge significantly improved after OOPRT; only one of 13 outcomes showed a cohort difference. There were no differences in enjoyment, indicating that switching to virtual learning does not undermine the learning experience. Further studies are needed to confirm that these results can be extended to other medical school topics where small group interactive discussion is preferred.

The COVID-19 pandemic created significant mental stressors among patients, which had the potential to impede access to primary care behavioral health (PCBH) services through rapid unplanned shifts to telehealth. The authors utilized retrospective administrative data and patient surveys to assess the feasibility, acceptability, and clinical outcomes of Jefferson Health PCBH pre- and post-COVID pandemic onset (Cohort 1 in person-only visits and Cohort 2 telemedicine-only visits). Using a retrospective cohort comparison study, outcomes included number of patients receiving PCBH in both cohorts, frequency of visits, no-show and cancellation rates, change in mean PHQ-9 and GAD-7 scores for patients, changes in the levels of depression and anxiety severity using established severity levels, and patient satisfaction with telehealth (Cohort 2 only). Patients in Cohort 2 were significantly more likely to have an anxiety diagnosis, had a smaller average number of visits, and were more likely to have a cancelled appointment. Both cohorts had statistically significant improvements in PHQ-9 and GAD-7 scores. In regression analyses, treatment cohort was not a significant predictor of final PHQ-9 or GAD-7 score. More members of Cohort 2 reported severe anxiety at both initial and final measurements. Nearly all Cohort 2 patients agreed or strongly agreed that telehealth made it easier for them to obtain care, that the platform was easy to use, and the visit was effective. Overall, PCBH telehealth services post-COVID-19 onset were feasible, acceptable to patients, and yielded similar clinical improvements to in-person behavioral health visits conducted before the pandemic.

In 2007, the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) began national implementation of Primary Care-Mental Health Integration (PCMHI) services. A major goal was to enhance mental health access and address unmet treatment needs. Integrated care services have been shown to improve depression identification1 and enhance engagement in specialty mental health treatment.2 Szymanski et al. examined a sample of VHA users in fiscal year (FY) 2010 and documented positive associations between receipt of PCMHI services on the day of a positive depression screen and initiation of depression treatment within 12 weeks.3 The authors noted as a study limitation that individuals who had received same-day PCMHI services may have had unmeasured differences in symptom severity or willingness to initiate depression treatment, as compared with other study patients.3 Also, in the years since 2010, VHA implementation of PCMHI services has expanded substantially. The present analysis re-evaluates the influence of same-day PCMHI services on initiation of depression treatment, for a more recent period and adjusting for patient propensity to have received PCMHI and/or Specialty Mental Health (SMH) clinic services on the day of the initial positive depression screen in primary care (PC). METHODS For FY2017 data, we applied methods from the FY2010 study,3 adding use of propensity score weights to adjust for patient likelihood of receiving same-day PCMHI and/or SMH services.4, 5 Generalized boosted models4, 5 were used to create the weights, with location of same-day services as the outcome. Separate propensity score–weighted logistic regressions assessed initiation within 12 weeks of antidepressant pharmacotherapy, psychotherapy, and either treatment.4 Analyses used SAS (version 9.3) and R software (version 3.4.2). The study was conducted as part of ongoing operations in the VHA Office of Mental Health and Suicide Prevention. RESULTS Table 1 presents sample characteristics, by type of services received. Compared with patients receiving same-day PCMHI, the “PC only” patients were older (38.4% vs. 23.1% were 65+ years old); less likely to be Hispanic (7.7% vs. 8.9%); more likely to be male (87.8% vs. 85.7%), married (49.2% vs. 45.8%), with a prior mental health diagnosis (16.7% vs. 13.3%) and prior VHA outpatient use (67.1% vs. 64.6%); and had lower baseline PHQ-2 (Patient Health Questionnaire) scores (4.64 vs. 4.83).