To support the ongoing community health team (CHT) expansion pilot work around mental health and substance use, Dr. Monique Thompson ND, CPHQ, a Specialized Quality Improvement Facilitator for the Blueprint for Health, has completed a literature review on complementary and alternative medical (CAM) approaches to depression, anxiety and substance use disorders. In the document, readers are walked through available evidence for CAM treatment approaches for these conditions, lifestyle modifications are reviewed, and nutrition, nutraceuticals, various psychological interventions, acupuncture and other therapeutics are discussed.
To make this information more readily available to providers, this work has been condensed and is now available statewide as an academic detailing (AD) offering for interested providers. AD is an educational and quality-focused outreach to healthcare providers where evidence-based research is presented to clinicians, with succinct recommendations how to integrate the information into the daily care of patients. AD sessions are one-on-one in-person sessions, lasting 15-20 minutes.
It is the hope of the Blueprint that this work will enhance provider and clinician knowledge on CAM therapies, provide strategic insight for integration into clinical practice, and enhance CAM promotion and utilization, allowing patients access to additional effective treatments and needed care to reduce mental health symptoms, decrease substance use and harm reduction.
If you are a Blueprint for Health provider/clinician, and would like more information, or want to participate in a session, please contact Dr. Thompson at monique.thompson@partner.vermont.gov.