Trial reportAcademic emergency medicine : official journal of the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine2020
A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial of the PTSD Coach App Following Motor Vehicle Crash-related Injury.
Trial report in Academic emergency medicine : official journal of the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 15 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
15 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Pooled it
- Feasibility, acceptability, and effectiveness of web-based and mobile PTSD Coach: a systematic review and meta-analysis.European journal of psychotraumatology · 2023Pooled it
- A longitudinal assessment of posttraumatic stress symptoms and pain catastrophizing after injury.Rehabilitation psychology · 2023Trial
- Efficacy, Benefits, and Harms of a Self-management App in a Swedish Trauma-Exposed Community Sample (PTSD Coach): Randomized Controlled Trial.Journal of medical Internet research · 2022Trial
- Cognitive appraisal processes mediate postinjury pain and disability: A longitudinal observational study.Rehabilitation psychology · 2026Article
- A Qualitative Exploration of Post-Injury Challenges and the Potential Role of the PTSD Coach Mobile Application to Improve Recovery Among Acutely Injured Patients.Journal of clinical psychology · 2026Article
- Systematic review and meta-analysis of adverse events in clinical trials of mental health apps.NPJ digital medicine · 2024Article
- Use of mobile applications and mental health services among veterans who received internet-connected tablets.JAMIA open · 2024Article
- An Evaluation of the Design of Multimedia Patient Education Materials in Musculoskeletal Health Care: Systematic Review.JMIR rehabilitation and assistive technologies · 2024Review
- A counsellor-supported 'PTSD Coach' intervention versus enhanced Treatment-as-Usual in a resource-constrained setting: A randomised controlled trial.Global mental health (Cambridge, England) · 2024Article
- Participants' experiences of a counsellor-supported PTSD Coach intervention in a resource-constrained setting.Global mental health (Cambridge, England) · 2024Article
- Testing adaptive interventions to improve PTSD treatment outcomes in Federally Qualified Health Centers: Protocol for a randomized clinical trial.Contemporary clinical trials · 2023Article
- Human Support in App-Based Cognitive Behavioral Therapies for Emotional Disorders: Scoping Review.Journal of medical Internet research · 2022Article
- Mobile app for prolonged grief among bereaved parents: study protocol for a randomised controlled trial.BMJ open · 2021Article
- The role of specific sources of social support on postinjury psychological symptoms.Rehabilitation psychology · 2021Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
7 authors.
Funding
Abstract
objectivePosttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms (PTSS) are common after minor injuries and can impair recovery. We sought to understand whether an evidence-based mobile phone application with self-help tools (PTSD Coach) could be useful to improve recovery after acute trauma among injured emergency department (ED) patients. This pilot study examined the feasibility, acceptability, and potential benefit of using PTSD Coach among acutely injured motor vehicle crash (MVC) patients.
methodsFrom September 2017 to September 2018, we recruited adult patients within 24 hours post-MVC from the EDs of two Level I trauma centers in the United States. We randomly assigned 64 injured adults to either the PTSD Coach (n = 33) or treatment as usual (TAU; n = 31) condition. We assessed PTSS and associated symptoms at 1 month (83% retained) and 3 months (73% retained) postenrollment.
resultsEnrollment was feasible (74% of eligible subjects participated) but usability and engagement were low (67% used PTSD Coach at least once, primarily in week 1); 76% of those who used it rated the app as moderately to extremely helpful. No differences emerged between groups in PTSS outcomes. Exploratory analyses among black subjects (n = 21) indicated that those in the PTSD Coach condition (vs. TAU) reported marginally lower PTSS (95% CI = -0.30 to 37.77) and higher PTSS coping self-efficacy (95% CI = -58.20 to -3.61) at 3 months.
conclusionsWe demonstrated feasibility to recruit acutely injured ED patients into an app-based intervention study, yet mixed evidence emerged for the usability and benefit of PTSD Coach. Most patients used the app once and rated it favorably in regard to satisfaction with and helpfulness, but longitudinal engagement was low. This latter finding may explain the lack of overall effects on PTSS. Additional research is warranted regarding whether targeting more symptomatic patients and the addition of engagement and support features can improve efficacy.
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Registered trials
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