Psychological Health Clinical Standards of Care Directorate

Mission:

To promote optimal clinical practice standards to maximize the psychological health (PH) of warriors and their families.

Director:

Air Force Col. Christopher Robinson

Overview:

The Psychological Health Clinical Standards of Care Directorate establishes and maintains a consistent standard of excellence across the Military Health System (MHS) for PH treatment. The directorate’s priority is to disseminate clinical practice guidelines with appropriate consultation and support to MHS for implementation.

Goals and Objectives:

The directorate is responsible for standardizing the use of evidence-based clinical practice guidelines and supporting state-of-the-art PH care. It also ensures consistent clinical support for patients with PH needs across the entire range of practice, from the battlefield to the MHS and beyond. This is accomplished by providing:

• Clinical practice guidelines.
• Consultation and site visits.
• Resource support and guidance.

Functional Areas:

The directorate has three primary functions:

• Clinical Practice Guidelines: In collaboration with the Department of Veterans Affairs, the directorate helps establish, refine, monitor and renew comprehensive, joint PH clinical practice guidelines. Areas of focus include post-traumatic stress disorder, major depressive disorder, substance use disorders, acute psychosis and medically unexplained symptoms. Where no guidelines exist, the Department of Defense works with the Department of Veterans Affairs and national experts to develop them.
• Clinical Practice Consultation: The directorate provides PH consultation and visitation services to clinical programs to standardize the best PH care across the MHS and to ensure systems are in place for the seamless transition of patients with PH needs as they move through the entire spectrum of care from the battlefield, to the MHS, to the Department of Veterans Affairs and to the civilian community.
• Clinical Practice Resource Support: The Clinical Practice Resource Support Division investigates the potential adoption of PH best practices and programs currently available at the federal, state and community level to determine those initiatives’ broad applicability for use throughout MHS. The team ensures awareness across the MHS of those evidence-based programs or best practices with the goal of standardizing care as patients move through the entire spectrum of care.