BACKGROUND: How best to plan and provide psychosocial care following disasters remains keenly debated. AIMS: To develop evidence-informed post-disaster psychosocial management guidelines. METHOD: A three-round web-based Delphi process was conducted. One hundred and six experts rated the importance of statements generated from existing evidence using a one to nine scale. Participants reassessed their original scores in the light of others' responses in the subsequent rounds. RESULTS: A total of 80 (72%) of 111 statements achieved consensus for inclusion. The statement 'all responses should provide access to pharmacological assessment and management' did not achieve consensus. The final guidelines recommend that every area has a multi-agency psychosocial care planning group, that responses provide general support, access to social, physical and psychological support and that specific mental health interventions are only provided if indicated by a comprehensive assessment. Trauma-focused cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) is recommended for acute stress disorder or acute post-traumatic stress disorder, with other treatments with an evidence base for chronic post-traumatic stress disorder being made available if trauma-focused CBT is not tolerated. CONCLUSIONS: The Delphi process allowed a consensus to be achieved in an area where there are limitations to the current evidence.
BACKGROUND: How best to plan and provide psychosocial care following disasters remains keenly debated. AIMS: To develop evidence-informed post-disaster psychosocial management guidelines. METHOD: A three-round web-based Delphi process was conducted. One hundred and six experts rated the importance of statements generated from existing evidence using a one to nine scale. Participants reassessed their original scores in the light of others' responses in the subsequent rounds. RESULTS: A total of 80 (72%) of 111 statements achieved consensus for inclusion. The statement 'all responses should provide access to pharmacological assessment and management' did not achieve consensus. The final guidelines recommend that every area has a multi-agency psychosocial care planning group, that responses provide general support, access to social, physical and psychological support and that specific mental health interventions are only provided if indicated by a comprehensive assessment. Trauma-focused cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) is recommended for acute stress disorder or acute post-traumatic stress disorder, with other treatments with an evidence base for chronic post-traumatic stress disorder being made available if trauma-focused CBT is not tolerated. CONCLUSIONS: The Delphi process allowed a consensus to be achieved in an area where there are limitations to the current evidence.
Authors: Loren M Post; Vasiliki Michopoulos; Jennifer S Stevens; Renuka Reddy; Jessica L Maples; Jessica R Morgan; Alex O Rothbaum; Tanja Jovanovic; Kerry J Ressler; Barbara O Rothbaum Journal: Pract Innov (Wash D C) Date: 2017-04-03
Authors: Elizabeth J Kirkham; Catherine J Crompton; Matthew H Iveson; Iona Beange; Andrew M McIntosh; Sue Fletcher-Watson Journal: Front Psychiatry Date: 2021-06-10 Impact factor: 4.157