Integration of psychological care into a nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) program in the Southeastern United States: A retrospective cohort study

Nontuberculous mycobacterial lung disease (NTM-LD) is a chronic infection of the lungs with a high symptom burden. NTM-LD treatment is typically long and complicated, which can impact quality of life and mental health. Increased support for psychological challenges is a priority for this population....

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Therapeutic advances in respiratory disease Vol. 19; p. 17534666251394479
Main Authors: Christon, Lillian M., Bullington, Wendy, Sullivan, Lauren, Flume, Patrick A., Dorman, Susan, Alkabab, Yosra, Daigle, Brian, Taylor, Brandie, Mingora, Christina
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: England SAGE Publishing 01.01.2025
Subjects:
Aged
Anxiety - psychology
Anxiety - therapy
Cohort Studies
Delivery of Health Care, Integrated - organization & administration
Depression - psychology
Depression - therapy
Female
Humans
Male
Mental Health
Middle Aged
Mycobacterium Infections, Nontuberculous - diagnosis
Mycobacterium Infections, Nontuberculous - microbiology
Mycobacterium Infections, Nontuberculous - psychology
Mycobacterium Infections, Nontuberculous - therapy
Patient Reported Outcome Measures
Psychotherapy
Quality of Life
Retrospective Studies
Southeastern United States - epidemiology
Southeastern United States
lung diseases
nontuberculous mycobacteria
quality of life
mental health
ISSN:1753-4666, 1753-4666
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Nontuberculous mycobacterial lung disease (NTM-LD) is a chronic infection of the lungs with a high symptom burden. NTM-LD treatment is typically long and complicated, which can impact quality of life and mental health. Increased support for psychological challenges is a priority for this population. We describe integrating psychological care into a multidisciplinary outpatient NTM program, patient characteristics, and results of patient-reported outcomes (PRO) screening (of depression, anxiety, fatigue, health-related quality of life, quality of life, and Top Problems). Retrospective observational cohort study design. Processes and structure around psychology integration are described. Descriptive data obtained via retrospective chart review (IRB approved) are presented on patient sociodemographic factors, psychiatric medication and psychotherapy use, and results of PRO screenings with NTM-LD patients anticipated to start NTM antibiotic treatment or already on treatment. Relationships between variables were examined using nonparametric statistics. From 2020 to 2024, 175 patients with NTM-LD were screened. Patients were on average 65.7 ± 9.8 years old, female (74.2%), white (91.4%), and on Medicare (69.1%). On average, this group experienced a moderate degree of socioeconomic disadvantage; 94.9% of patients lived in areas with a mental health provider shortage, and 42.3% lived in medically underserved areas. Patients reported considerable rates of mild or higher depression (54.3%) and anxiety (32.0%). Many utilized psychiatric (52.6%) or pain (20.6%) medications, while engagement in psychotherapy was low (5.1%). Patients reported impacts on quality of life, fatigue, and health-related quality of life, and the most common Top Problems were: " ," " ," and " ." A licensed psychologist was successfully integrated into the NTM program. The disparity between PRO results and psychotherapy engagement highlights a key opportunity for mental health interventions. Integrated psychological services may provide streamlined access to mental healthcare.
Bibliography:ObjectType-Article-1
SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1
ObjectType-Feature-2
content type line 23
ISSN:1753-4666
1753-4666
DOI:10.1177/17534666251394479