CloudMD’s TAiCBT Results in Significant Improvement for PTSD Across Symptom Severity Levels, Trauma Types and Demographics

Recent research study demonstrates that the majority of clients experience reliable improvement in symptoms after just two months of treatment

CloudMD Software & Services, a healthcare technology and innovative health services company transforming the delivery of care, released a research study that demonstrates the positive outcome results from using its therapist-led internet based cognitive behavioural therapy (TAiCBT) for individuals suffering from posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) across symptom severity levels, trauma types and demographics.

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PTSD is a debilitating condition often exacerbated by long wait times and lack of access to effective treatment. The first line psychological treatments for PTSD are rooted in principles of cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT). Digital delivery of these therapies represents an opportunity to improve access to evidence-based treatment that can reduce symptoms of posttraumatic stress.

CloudMD recently completed its study to determine the effectiveness of its TAiCBT for posttraumatic stress and examine how pre-treatment client characteristics are related to key outcomes. The sample consisted of individuals with histories of traumas ranging from experiencing sexual assault to observing work-related suffering; this enabled researchers to also explore the relationship between these diverse histories and treatment outcomes.

Highlights of Results: 

• Between January 2020 and June 2022, 4,236 people consented to treatment for symptoms of posttraumatic stress, and 3,689 of those completed at least one post assessment outcome measure.
• Clients reported significant symptoms: 96% reported symptoms that exceeded the threshold for being a clinical case and 68% also reported serious symptoms of depression and anxiety, as well as impaired functioning in day-to-day activities.
• Clients reported a range of trauma histories: 68% reported ‘other unwanted or uncomfortable sexual experience’, 59% reported physical assault, 56% reported sexual assault, 36% reported a transportation accident, and 54% reported ‘other very stressful event’.
• When broken down by gender, unwanted sexual experiences and assaults (both physical and sexual) were the most reported experiences for women. For men, the most reported traumatic experiences were physical assaults, other stressful experiences or a transportation accident.
• On average, clients started treatment within 7 calendar days of submitting an assessment, with 71% of treatment content completed outside of standard work hours.
• The CloudMD treatment had a large and statistically significant effect on clients’ posttraumatic stress symptoms and a moderate effect on symptoms of depression, anxiety and functional impairment.
• Most clients achieved significant symptom reduction with the percent increasing as clients complete more treatment content: 61% of clients who engage with the trauma-focused content experience a reliable improvement in their symptoms, and 77% who engage with the consolidation content experience reliable improvement with an average reduction of 23 points on the PTSD Checklist for DSM-5.
• Treatment was effective for the full range of symptom scores. Clients with higher baseline trauma symptom scores were more likely to achieve reliable symptom improvement than those with lower scores.
• All client types were equally likely to achieve reliable symptom improvement: demographic characteristics and trauma type were not predictive of engagement with treatment or of symptom change.

Most studies of TAiCBT for PTSD focus on specific subsets of the population, such as groups that are assumed to have employment-related exposure to trauma, including members of the military (or veterans), first-line responders (EMTs, ER physicians), or law enforcement (Straud et al 2019; Stephanopoulou et al 2020). Given that interpersonal trauma – such as physical and sexual assault – accounts for a large proportion of PTSD cases (Bedoya et al., 2020), research on the effectiveness of TAiCBT for posttraumatic stress would benefit from expanding the field of study to include broader populations, which is exactly what this study does.
In addition to evaluating the efficacy of CloudMD’s posttraumatic stress treatment protocol to determine whether accessible, low-intensity treatment options would be effective for posttraumatic stress across the full spectrum of symptom severity, CloudMD’s researchers also explored the effect of sample-specific factors on treatment outcomes. Researchers examined whether pre-treatment client characteristics such as gender, age, and trauma type, predicted differential response to treatment.

“This study solidifies the importance of offering therapy for posttraumatic stress alongside depression and anxiety therapy to complement care and provide truly effective treatment for anyone needing trauma support, not only the first-responder community,” shared Karen Adams, President and CEO, CloudMD. “Our data allows for better understanding of the conditions and the impact of targeted treatments. This helps employers make informed choices when they evaluate workplace mental health investments by equipping them with critical insights,” she continued.

The study demonstrates the basic effectiveness of CloudMD’s TAiCBT program for posttraumatic stress in a real-world heterogenous sample of help-seeking individuals. More than half of clients experienced significant reduction in trauma symptoms; 38% of clients experienced reductions in depression and anxiety; and 28% of clients reported improvements in day-to-day functioning. The program led to reductions in symptoms for clients across the range of symptom severity. While the longer a client spent engaged in treatment, the greater their likelihood of achieving symptom improvement, many clients who did not complete all phases of therapy experienced reliable symptom improvement. These results indicate that offering low-intensity treatment for posttraumatic stress is a viable and frequently sufficient entry point to care.

“Our TAiCBT program enables us to break down barriers to evidence-based care that many individuals experience, such as lack of accessible or specific treatments. We’ve been able to successfully treat clients with varying severity of post traumatic symptoms,” said Dr. Leorra Newman, Clinical Content Lead, CloudMD. *“This study highlights that targeting post traumatic symptoms directly can lead to associated improvements in levels of anxiety, depression, and functioning – making a true difference in our clients’ lives,*” Newman added.

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Accessing evidence-based mental health treatment in a timely manner is challenging, taking 25 business days in Canada to access typical community-based services, with wait times for specific conditions like PTSD reaching approximately two years. This lack of accessibility is a significant problem for individuals, their families, employers and many other parts of society. CloudMD provides timely access to TAiCBT within days of a completed assessment, accelerating access, providing support outside regular office hours, and alleviating demand on traditional pathways.

Furthermore, the effectiveness of CloudMD’s programs showcases the value of selecting evidence-based mental health treatment for HR leaders investing in the well-being of their staff. As shown in this study, CloudMD has a proven, highly effective treatment for people with diverse histories of trauma and demographic characteristics.

CloudMD is transforming the delivery of healthcare using technology and by providing a patient-centric approach, with an emphasis on continuity of care. By leveraging healthcare technology, the Company is building one, connected platform that addresses all points of a patient’s healthcare journey and provides better access to care and improved outcomes. Through CloudMD’s proprietary technology, the Company delivers quality healthcare through a holistic offering including hybrid primary care clinics, specialist care, telemedicine, mental health support, healthcare navigation, educational resources, and artificial intelligence (AI). CloudMD’s business is separated into three main divisions: Clinics and Pharmacies, Digital Solution and Enterprise Health Solutions, the Company’s fastest growing division. CloudMD’s Enterprise Health Solutions Division has built a leading employer healthcare solutions, including its Comprehensive Integrated Health Services Platform, which offers one comprehensive, digitally connected platform for educational institutions, corporations, insurers, and advisors to better manage the health and wellness of their students, employees, and customers.

CloudMD currently services a direct ecosystem of over 5,700 clinicians including, 1,800+ mental health practitioners, 1,600+ allied health professionals, 1,400+ doctors and nurses and covers 12 million individual lives across North America.

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