Using staff-run simulations to speed Veterans' access to mental health and addiction care

Who could benefit from this research

What this research studies

You would hear how VA frontline teams build and run computer simulations of staffing, scheduling and referrals using VA electronic data to understand why care gets delayed. Staff work together in a participatory program called Modeling to Learn to try changes in the simulator before making them in clinics. The project compares sites using this simulation approach to sites using usual quality improvement in a cluster randomized design and follows whether more Veterans get evidence-based treatments for depression, PTSD and opioid use disorder. Results come from VA medical records and quality metrics to track changes in timely access and treatment use.

Why it matters

Where this research is happening

• Veterans Admin Palo Alto Health Care Sys
  Palo Alto, United States Active

Researchers

• Principal investigator: Zimmerman, Lindsey Eileen — Veterans Admin Palo Alto Health Care Sys
• Study coordinator: Zimmerman, Lindsey Eileen

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About this research

1. This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
2. Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
3. For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.