An Institute of Medicine (IOM) suggests that the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) and U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) do not adequately measure post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) treatments.
The findings question the use of millions of dollars that have been spent to improve the mental health of service members, a Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health news release reported.
"Both departments lack a coordinated, consistent, and well-developed evidence-based system of treatment for PTSD and need to do a better job tracking outcomes," Sandro Galea, MD, DrPH, chair of the IOM committee, and chair of the Department of Epidemiology at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health, said in the news release. "Mental health is among the most important factors behind successful re-entry after military service, and we don't know if treatments are working."
The report was issued after a scandal at the Department of Veterans Affairs that led to the resignation of their Secretary Eric Shinseki. An investigation revealed the Department denied timely care to service workers within a network of over 1,700 healthcare facilities. In 2012 the Departments spent $249 million for PTSD care.
PTSD is characterized by hypervigilence and sleeplessness; it can be treated with both pharmacologically and psychologically. About five percent of all service workers have been diagnosed with PTSD.
"There is generally good will and spikes of excellence in both departments. Substantial effort has been made toward providing service members excellent PTSD care. However, there is tremendous variability in how care is implemented and an absence of data that tell us if programs are working or not," Doctor Galea said.
"In many respects our findings that neither the DOD nor the VA has a system that documents patients' progress and uses standardized instruments to chart long-term treatment are not surprising," he added. "We are hopeful that the report will provide a blueprint for where we need to get to."
