A Clinical Translation of the Research Article Titled 'Building a Tobacco Cessation Telehealth Care Management Program for Veterans With Posttraumatic Stress Disorder'

摘要

The number of military veterans diagnosed with posttrau-matic stress disorder (PTSD) has increased over the past decade, and the rate of tobacco use in this population is high. A recent study of military persons with PTSD showed that that those with higher PTSD symptom severity are more likely to view tobacco use as an effective means to control the negative affect states associated with the disorder, suggesting those with PTSD are more likely to turn to tobacco use for relief (Calhoun et al., 2011). Development of efficacious and cost-effective interventions to promote smoking cessation and reduce the risk of tobacco-related disease in this population is critical. In the article "Building a Tobacco Cessation Telehealth Care Management Program for Veterans With Posttrau-matic Stress Disorder," Battaglia, Benson, Cook, & Prochazka report the results of a pilot study designed to evaluate the feasibility and fidelity of an intervention program to promote smoking cessation in veterans with PTSD. The intervention program is based on the principles of the transtheoretical model of behavior change and motivational interviewing. It was delivered to patients in their home using telephone technology and was included as part of an established telehealth program to improve self-management and health in veterans with PTSD. Because Battaglia et al.'s project was a. pilot study, the investigators were primarily interested in determining if the study design and methods could be implemented as planned. However, changes in patient smoking behaviors and their satisfaction with the intervention program are also reported.