Reducing Stigma Through Telehealth Technology
By Marqeis Sparks, Health.mil

T2 collaborated with the VA’s National Center for PTSD to develop this app to assist veterans and active duty personnel (and civilians) who are experiencing symptoms of PTSD.

With technological development at the forefront of an evolving military medical community, there has been a significant increase in the demand for mobile connectivity and information sharing capabilities.

Currently, there are easily accessible mobile applications (apps) in the hands of thousands of veterans, service members and their families that are being utilized as useful tools to connect to important military medical issues, particularly mental health information and resources.

“As the general public has shifted its focus to include mobile applications and mobile websites as a way to access various resources, [the Department of Defense (DoD)] became more interested in mobile solutions. My primary role is working on design and implementation of mobile products, from apps to text messaging initiatives,” says Dr. Julia Hoffman, clinical psychologist, mobile apps project lead, and Veteran Affairs (VA) liaison, National Center for Telehealth and Technology (T2).

Established in 2008, the T2 program was formed by the DoD as a source for evaluating and testing available emerging software, hardware, and mobile devices to address the psychological health and traumatic brain injury (TBI) needs of the military community. T2 researchers, psychologist and engineers have worked with the VA and civilian organizations to develop, design and pilot web and mobile apps. The program also develops virtual reality therapy tools and several suicide prevention tools and resources.

In efforts to decrease redundancies, streamline development, and ensure resources are properly leveraged between Veteran Affairs (VA) and the DoD, Hoffman serves as the lead for all mobile application development for both agencies, although she is physically located at the VA’s National Center for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (NCPTSD) in Northern California. The collaboration between the DoD and VA allows a much deeper bench of talent to work with, both clinically and technically, says Hoffman.

The most recently launched Smartphone app, PTSD Coach, was made available to users in April, and was one of the first in a series of jointly-designed projects by the VA National Center for PTSD (NCPTSD) and the DoD’s T2 program. Hoffman was responsible for conceiving the idea, running the focus groups with veterans to determine feature sets, and overseeing all design, content and technical development.

She also worked to push the app through the various channels within the VA and DoD to ensure that the first collaborative effort was accurately represented and properly authorized.

The PTSD Coach app has garnered a considerable number of positive reviews from users, as well as medical professionals. The most practical uses for the app have been for users to track and learn helpful strategies to manage their PTSD symptoms on the go, utilize public and personalized sources of support, and to get accurate information regarding PTSD.

More than 11,000 users have currently downloaded the app, including users located in 38 countries outside of the United States. Feedback results have also shown that the app has increased utilization of the crisis hotline, which guides users to reach out for help if they are experiencing serious distress.

“This new tool is about helping veterans and service members when and where they need it,” said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki. “We are encouraged so many have already downloaded this resource and hope many more will utilize this convenient tool to access VA services.”

Hoffman and her team have also worked on other successful apps such as Breathe2Relax, as well as T2 Mood Tracker and the Technical Breathing Trainer, which won first and second place in the General Wellness category of the recent Apps4Army competition. These apps are presently being used for research and as an adjunct to treatment in numerous areas of the DoD.

“ We have plenty of research that explains what challenges people have returning from deployments, what treatments work to manage these issues, and which parts of treatment delivery are not working. T2 allows for rapid innovation to try and combine this clinical knowledge with technical solutions in order to try and make real progress in healthcare,” explained Hoffman.

Although neither agency takes full credit for developing these mobile apps, there are some apps that T2 takes the lead for, and for others, the NCPTSD does. The intention is to use resources for any given project to the highest capacity, given the benefits and constraints of each system. As a result, Hoffman works closely with subject matter experts and contracted technical development teams hired through the VA and DoD, as well as individuals from various other federal agencies.

Within the next few months, both T2 and the NCPTSD expect to release many more applications, with each agency targeting different populations of users, from service members and veterans, to healthcare providers and military families, in an effort to make more resources available and to reduce the stigma associated with psychological health.