Background
In 2008, the U.S. Navy Bureau of Medicine and Surgery (BUMED) recognized the need for increased collaboration and a comprehensive system of care for our service members. In response, BUMED established the Naval Center for Combat & Operational Stress Control (NCCOSC) and tasked it to develop the Psychological Health Pathways (PHP) to meet the Military Health System objectives for a best-practice psychological health system.
PHP Overview
PHP provides a standardized process to facilitate clinical assessment, data management and reporting to inform clinicians and improve the quality and coordination of patient care across Military Treatment Facilities (MTFs). Individual clinics integrate PHP into existing practices to accommodate patient, provider and clinic needs.
PHP Foundation
An integrated Web-based system of standardized clinical assessments and reporting are the basis of PHP. PHP provides:
- Clinical Assessment Tool – PHP uses validated and standardized outcome measures to assess patients at intake and at regular intervals throughout mental health treatment. The PHP Clinical Assessment Tool includes patient-reported demographics and deployment information, along with a set of validated outcome measures for completion by the patient. Incorporating electronic data capture with forced-choice responses ensures complete scores for all measures and provides standardized, real-time data to providers.
- Clinical Reports – PHP clinical reports include individual patient summary reports and aggregate clinic reports. Patient summary reports include outcome measures summaries, score details and narrative explanation. Clinic reports are generated quarterly and annually. PHP reports are used to inform treatment planning and progress, measure change at the patient and clinic level, and answer clinic resource allocation and population health questions.
PHP Goals
- Use validated and standardized clinical outcome measures to assess patients at regular intervals throughout mental health treatment across MTFs
- Use standard clinical reporting at individual patient and aggregate clinic levels
- Improve continuity, coordination and collaboration within and across MTFs by providing system-wide access to patient outcome measure data
- Integrate seamlessly into the clinic without taxing facility infrastructure by using non-DoD network computer resources
- Use Web-based interfaces for patients and clinic staff
- Eliminate the need for providers or clinic staff to hand score outcome measures
- Streamline and standardize the intake process across MTFs
- Provide clinic leaders with quality data that describe their patient population