NURS FPX 6026 Assessment 2 Biopsychosocial Population Health Policy Proposal
NURS FPX 6026 Assessment 2 Biopsychosocial Population Health Policy Proposal
Name
Capella university
NURS-FPX 6026 Biopsychosocial Concepts for Advanced Nursing Practice 2
Prof. Name
Date
Biopsychosocial Population Health Policy Proposal
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) remains a significant challenge among veterans, often leading to poor mental health outcomes, barriers to care, and social isolation, particularly in rural areas. In 2024, approximately 14% of male and 24% of female veterans were diagnosed with PTSD (National Center for PTSD, 2025). This assessment presents a Veteran PTSD Care Enhancement Policy, which enhances evidence-based treatments, expands telehealth services, and integrates community-based support through interdisciplinary collaboration. Current gaps in care are used as the basis for these improvements in the proposal. This article examines how an interprofessional approach can ensure that veterans receive high-quality, accessible, comprehensive care for PTSD.
Proposed Policy and Guidelines
To address the growing mental health crisis among veterans, a policy is proposed as follows:
“Veteran PTSD Care Enhancement Policy: It seeks to enhance health outcomes and quality of care through increased access to evidence-based treatment (Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) and Prolonged Exposure (PE) therapy), expanded telemental health services, and community-based peer support integration. It requires higher availability of telehealth, more training of providers in PTSD therapies, and partnerships with veteran organizations. The policy of fostering interdisciplinary collaboration and downplaying these barriers to care guarantees that veterans receive timely, effective, holistic PTSD treatment.”
Practice Guidelines
This policy must be implemented with clear practice guidelines for healthcare providers, policymakers, and veteran support organizations. To expand telehealth, mental health professionals need to be trained in virtual PTSD treatments so that veterans can receive evidence-based care remotely (Rosen et al., 2021). Peer support programs must be integrated into VA facilities through partnerships with veteran-led organizations, structured group therapy, and mentorship.
Development of personalized PTSD treatment plans will be conducted between interdisciplinary teams that include mental health providers, primary care physicians, social workers, and case managers. Veterans will be educated on available services and the stigma associated with getting mental health care through outreach programs. Effectiveness will be measured by regular data tracking and program evaluations that will keep improving the access, efficiency, and overall quality of care for PTSD treatment.
Challenges and Solutions
Implementing the policy and practice guidelines may face several challenges, including provider resistance to telehealth, veterans’ reluctance to seek mental healthcare, and funding limitations. Some providers may be uncertain about virtual therapy and thus hesitant to adopt it. Mandatory telehealth training and technical support will address this. Stigma and awareness can keep it away from veterans seeking care, so outreach and peer education programs will facilitate engagement. The funding constraints could restrict program expansion to some extent; however, advocating for more federal support and public-private partnerships will enable securing necessary resources (Ein et al., 2024). Continuous evaluation of the program and stakeholder feedback will keep the policy flexible to evolve and serve veterans’ PTSD treatment needs.
Advocacy for the Proposed Policy and Practice Guidelines
The care of PTSD in veterans is currently challenging, including long wait times, provider shortages, restricted access to evidence-based treatments, and stigma associated with mental health care (Ein et al., 2024). Generally, such veterans, mostly in rural areas, cannot quickly access timely PTSD treatment, resulting in worsening symptoms, comorbid conditions, and increased risk of suicide. Although the VA provides PTSD care, access to care across facilities, coordination with comorbid services, and follow-through are suboptimal, which adversely affects overall quality.
Better integration of peer support programs expanded telehealth services, and the ability to deliver holistic, continuous, and easily accessible care requires interdisciplinary effort. It ensures this will occur by mandating telehealth training, increasing veteran outreach efforts, and encouraging collaboration between mental health professionals, social workers, and community organizations. However, opponents believe some veterans will resist virtual care and, instead, they prefer in-person care. Data security risks and technological barriers to older adults also concern others (Wilson et al., 2021).
There are also clinical concerns that professionals will be overburdened and peer support programs will suffice. These challenges can be addressed through the education of sharpshooters, safeguards for the innocents, and hybrid care models. This balance meets veterans’ needs for quality, timely treatment for PTSD and expands access to the best value community care.
Interprofessional Approach to Implementing the Proposed Policy
The Veteran PTSD Care Enhancement Policy is only successful when it is implemented through an interprofessional approach that includes mental health providers, primary care physicians, social workers, peer support specialists, and telehealth coordinators. Collaborative case management is one of the best practices, and it especially includes sharing patient information and agreeing on the treatment plan. This also prevents gaps in the care of PTSD.
The VA’s Patient-Aligned Care Team (PACT) framework is an example of team-based care models that increase efficiency by streamlining communication and reducing fragmented care (U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, n.d.). If interprofessional collaboration is implemented, this will improve veterans’ efficiency in getting faster diagnoses, referrals, and treatment adjustments. Telehealth coordinators will fill in the gaps in accessibility, and peer support specialists will reach out to the veterans who are reluctant to seek care, enhancing treatment adherence.
Overall, this team-based approach will increase effectiveness by offering holistic, patient-centered care to address both PTSD symptoms and co-morbid conditions (U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, n.d.). Nevertheless, knowledge gaps remain regarding the success of providing care remotely in the long term, the best ratio of professional to peer-provided support, and addressing provider burnout in an expanded model of care. More research is required to determine what best practices are for integrating technology with in-person care and how to allocate resources to maintain high-quality PTSD treatment for veterans.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the Veteran PTSD Care Enhancement Policy supports improved mental health outcomes through increasing proven treatments, improving telehealth service provision, and expanding community-based support through the interdisciplinary approach. Implementing structured guidelines in this policy ensures that veterans get timely, accessible, and comprehensive care. Problems with providers, funding, and others, however, will be overcome by an interprofessional approach to the treatment of PTSD. Further strengthening the quality of care will be accomplished through ongoing research and policy adjustments to address knowledge gaps. Advocating for this policy helps ensure veterans’ mental wellness, removes obstacles to treatment, and supports a patient-centered, sustainable approach to the management of PTSD in the healthcare system.
References
Ein, N., Gervasio, J., St Cyr, K., Liu, J. J. W., Baker, C., Nazarov, A., & Richardson, J. D. (2024). A rapid review of the barriers and facilitators of mental health service access among Veterans and their families. Frontiers in Health Services, 4. https://doi.org/10.3389/frhs.2024.1426202
National Center for PTSD. (2025, January 10). How common is PTSD in veterans? Ptsd.va.gov. https://www.ptsd.va.gov/understand/common/common_veterans.asp
Rosen, C. S., Morland, L. A., Glassman, L. H., Marx, B. P., Weaver, K., Smith, C. A., Pollack, S., & Schnurr, P. P. (2021). Virtual mental health care in the Veterans Health Administration’s immediate response to coronavirus disease-19. American Psychologist, 76(1), 26–38. https://doi.org/10.1037/amp0000751
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. (n.d.). Patient care services. Patientcare.va.gov. https://www.patientcare.va.gov/primarycare/PACT.asp
Wilson, J., Heinsch, M., Betts, D., Booth, D., & Kay-Lambkin, F. (2021). Barriers and facilitators to the use of e-health by older adults: A scoping review. BMC Public Health, 21(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-021-11623-w