Abstract
Traumatic brain injury (TBI)-related disabilities can be influenced by behavioral health factors. Evolving treatment models demonstrate the need for interdisciplinary interventions. Yet, few resources exist to help providers from multiple clinical backgrounds learn how to manage TBI-related behavioral health challenges. Project ECHO (Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes) connects providers with specialists who provide ongoing consultation and education in specific areas. We describe the launch and evaluation of the first TBI behavioral health ECHO program (TBI-BH ECHO). The ECHO’s past programs were reviewed, and none were found that addressed interdisciplinary education and chronic traumatic brain injury behavioral health concerns. Four content experts met to generate a list of top high-yield topics. This list was sent as a survey to community providers to identify didactic needs and potential learners beyond physicians. Based on this assessment, a didactic schedule was created, participants were recruited, and the program launched in January 2022. Registration demographics, session attendance, and first-year quantitative and qualitative evaluations were collected. Thirteen topics were identified and presented during the first iteration of the TBI-BH ECHO—an average of 25 attendees from multiple disciplines and clinical locations. While inpatient and outpatient providers attended, most of the attendees worked in corrections settings. The series was rated 4.6/5 on relevance and 4.7/5 on quality. Twelve qualitative interviews found that the content was at the right level. We launched the first interdisciplinary Project ECHO to address post-TBI behavioral health issues (TBI-BH ECHO). Our interdisciplinary attendees found this digital format acceptable and rated the content highly. Overall, ECHO offered a successful way to achieve our educational goals.
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Data available on request from the authors.
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Acknowledgements
We would like to thank our Program Coordinator, Cara Towle, RN, for her invaluable support. We thank the Garvey Institute for Brain Health Solutions and Washington State’s Department of Social and Health Services for their support.
Funding
Garvey Institute for Brain Health Solutions,Washington State Department of Social and Health Services
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All authors contributed to the study’s conception and design. All authors performed material preparation, data collection, and analysis. JME wrote the first draft of the manuscript, and all authors commented on previous versions. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
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Erickson, J.M., Junn, C., Hoeft, T.J. et al. Harnessing the ECHO Model to Help with Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). J. technol. behav. sci. 9, 164–170 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s41347-023-00377-4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s41347-023-00377-4