Healing Invisible Wounds-The Intensive (HIW-I) is a comprehensive program including individual and group therapies designed in the field of community nursing in Canada to expressly target all aspects of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) for first responders, military personnel and veterans.
The purpose of this pilot study was to evaluate the feasibility and outcomes of HIW-I.
In this evaluation, participants completed standardized measures of symptoms of PTSD and sequelae at baseline, post-intervention and five months follow up.
Participants (n = 18) reported statistically significant improvements on the severity of PTSD symptoms and many participants also had clinically significant improvements in these symptoms. Statistically significant improvements were also evident in anger, depression, grief and interpersonal problems. Qualitative feedback suggested participants found the comprehensiveness the program helpful.
This evaluation provides promising preliminary evidence for the effectiveness of HIW-I.
This study revealed that HIW-I was successfully implemented and supports the adoption of this comprehensive program in community settings.