@article{ref1,
title="Best practice intervention for post-traumatic stress disorder among transit workers",
journal="Work",
year="2016",
author="Bender, Ash and Eynan, Rahel and O'Grady, John and Nisenbaum, Rosane and Shah, Ravi and Links, Paul S.",
volume="54",
number="1",
pages="59-71",
abstract="BACKGROUND: Transportation industry workers are at high risk for exposure to traumatic incidents in the workplace. A considerable number of those exposed to such incidents will develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, which leads to high rates of absenteeism and are costly to the public transit corporation and workplace safety compensation insurance. <br><br>OBJECTIVE: To determine whether the newly implemented Best Practice Intervention (BPI) provides superior outcomeswhen compared with Treatment-as-Usual (TAU) interventions in improving workers' rates of return to work (RTW), decreasing duration of time lost from work and overall reduction in severity of PTSD symptoms 6 months after exposure. <br><br>METHODS: A sequential mixed methods approach was used with qualitative analysis followed by a pre-post intervention design. Sixty-two participants were recruited to the (TAU) phase of the study and 79 to the (BPI) phase. <br><br>RESULTS: Significant differences were observed between the TAU and BPI groups in number of lost work days (TAU: 20 days vs. BPI: 52 days, p = 0.02). PTSD symptoms decreased with time (MPPS score: 51.3 vs. 24.35; p <  0.001). One-fifth of the participants (21 %) did not return to work by the end of the 6 months follow-up period. <br><br>CONCLUSIONS: The study demonstrated the value of workplace interventions in improving awareness of psychological symptoms after exposure to a traumatic incident and the value of screening for PTSD symptoms.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="1051-9815",
doi="10.3233/WOR-162263",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.3233/WOR-162263"
}