Nurse-Led PTSD Treatment in Primary Care

Summary

Purpose of the Study Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a common and serious condition, but many people cannot get the help they need because there are not enough mental health specialists (like psychologists or psychiatrists) available. This study is testing a new program called NurseNET. The goal of NurseNET is to train nurses to provide a proven, short-term trauma treatment called Narrative Exposure Therapy (NET).

Why This Study is Important Most people see their nurse or doctor for health concerns. Because nurses are highly trusted and already work on the front lines of healthcare, they may be in the best position to offer PTSD treatment quickly and conveniently. This study aims to see if nurse-led care can bridge the gap between patients and the treatment they deserve.

What the Study Involves Researchers will enroll 100 participants who have symptoms of PTSD. Participants will work with a trained nurse in a primary care setting to complete the NurseNET program.

The Treatment: The program consists of 4 to 6 sessions. During these sessions, the nurse helps the patient talk through their life story and process difficult memories in a safe, supportive way.

What We Are Measuring: The research team will look at several factors to see if the program is successful:

Effectiveness: Do PTSD symptoms improve after working with the nurse?

Feasibility and Acceptability: Do patients and nurses find this type of care easy to use and helpful?

Health Impact: Since PTSD is linked to heart health, the study will also look at whether the treatment improves things like blood pressure or physical activity levels.

Goal of the Research By the end of this study, researchers hope to show that nurses can safely and effectively provide trauma care. If successful, this model could be used across the United States to make PTSD treatment much easier to access for everyone.

Conditions

• Post Traumatic Stress Disorder PTSD

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

NurseNET

NurseNET is a pragmatic clinical intervention designed to deliver evidence-based PTSD treatment within primary care workflows. It is distinguished from traditional Narrative Exposure Therapy (NET) and other primary care behavioral health interventions by the following four core elements: Nurse-Led Task Sharing. Unlike traditional models that rely on licensed mental health specialists (psychologists or social workers), NurseNET is delivered entirely by nurses. This leverages the existing nursing workforce to bypass specialist shortages and reduce the "referral cliff" associated with external mental health consultations. Dose-Compressed Protocol. While standard NET often extends to 10 or more sessions, NurseNET utilizes a condensed 4-session format. This "minimum therapeutic dose" is specifically engineered for the high-throughput U.S. healthcare environment. We use a safety-net supervision framework and leverage the holistic nurse preparation in the context of co-located/integrated care

BEHAVIORAL

Referral to PTSD Treatment

Standard referral to PTSD treatment.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Rush University Medical Center

  lead OTHER

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

NONE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

18 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2026-03-30

Primary Completion

2028-06-30

Completion

2029-09-30

Countries

• United States

Study Locations