An Educational Intervention on the Efficacy of Ketamine- Assisted Psychotherapy for Anxiety

Abstract

Purpose: This quality improvement project was designed to educate mental health careprofessionals (MHCPs) regarding the literature-informed efficacy of utilizing ketamine-assisted psychotherapy (KAP) as a treatment modality for patients with a diagnosis of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) that has been unresponsive to prior treatments. Background: Generalized anxiety disorder is a highly prevalent comorbid diagnosis among those with mental health concerns. Individuals with GAD can experience poor treatment responses to first-line intervention recommendations. Therefore, MHCPs must identify and utilize efficacious alternate treatments for this patient population. A southern Arizona outpatient clinic identified that GAD is frequently comorbid among their clients receiving KAP services for both major depressive disorder (MDD) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD); clinic staff may benefit from receiving further information regarding the efficacy of KAP for GAD. Methods: Prior to the educational intervention’s implementation, a survey of MHCPs at the project’s implementation site was conducted to assess the prevalence of KAP use for patients with GAD. Mental health care providers at a southern Arizona outpatient clinic providing mental health services were recruited through convenience sampling for the prevalence survey and an asynchronous educational presentation presenting the literature-informed efficacy of KAP for GAD. To assess the outcomes of the educational intervention, participants completed pre-intervention and post-intervention surveys which evaluated their knowledge of KAP for GAD and their intention to incorporate KAP for GAD into their care recommendations. Descriptive statistics, bar graphs, and paired t-tests were used to analyze and interpret the survey data. Results: Four MHCPs participated in the educational intervention. Analysis of the participants’ results indicated improved knowledge regarding the literature-identified efficacy of KAP for GAD and increased intent to utilize KAP for GAD. Conclusions: The results of this quality improvement project indicated that an asynchronous educational intervention can influence MHCP's knowledge regarding the current literature-identified efficacy of KAP for patients with GAD and increase participants’ intention to recommend KAP for patients with GAD.