Nurse-Led PTSD Treatment in Primary Care
Key facts
- Who runs it
- Rush University Medical Center
- Where
- Brookfield and Chicago, United StatesSee the 2 sites
- Trial code
- Status
- Recruiting
- People taking part
- 100 people, planned
- Started
- 30 Mar 2026
- Expected to end
- Sept 2029
- Type of study
- Interventional, 2 groupsOne group gets an existing treatment, for comparison.
- Treatments tested
- NurseNET
- Referral to PTSD Treatment
- Record updated
- 29 April 2026
Who can take part
- Age
- 18 years and older
- Sex
- Women and men
- Healthy volunteers
- Cannot take part
The registry criteria, word for word
Show all 2 criteriaShow less
Who can take part
- o PTSD + trauma exposure (PCL-5 score ≥28, plus trauma endorsed on LEC-5/CAPS); Life-threatening CV event in the last 90 days (including myocardial infarction/heart attack, acute cerebrovascular accident/stroke, sudden cardiac arrest, acute decompensated heart failure, or life-threatening arrhythmia requiring cardioversion or defibrillation); Primary care patient at Rush University Medical Center
Who cannot take part
- o Safety risk (documented suicidal ideation/need for acute psychiatric care); NET conflict (actively receiving psychotherapy/PTSD treatment); Cognitive/decisional non-capacity (University of California, San Diego Brief Assessment of Capacity to Consent [UBACC] ≤ 14.5)
Where in United States
- Rush University Medical CenterBrookfield, United StatesContact: Kirsten Assistant Professor, PhD, FNP-CTaking people
- Rush University Medical CenterChicago, United StatesContact: Kirsten Dickins Assistant Professor, PhDTaking people
About the trial
What the trial wants to find out
Purpose of the Study Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a common and serious condition, but many people cannot get the help they need because there are not enough mental health specialists (like psychologists or psychiatrists) available. This study is testing a new program called NurseNET. The goal of NurseNET is to train nurses to provide a proven, short-term trauma treatment called Narrative Exposure Therapy (NET).
Read full original descriptionShow less
Why This Study is Important Most people see their nurse or doctor for health concerns. Because nurses are highly trusted and already work on the front lines of healthcare, they may be in the best position to offer PTSD treatment quickly and conveniently. This study aims to see if nurse-led care can bridge the gap between patients and the treatment they deserve.
What the Study Involves Researchers will enroll 100 participants who have symptoms of PTSD. Participants will work with a trained nurse in a primary care setting to complete the NurseNET program.
The Treatment: The program consists of 4 to 6 sessions. During these sessions, the nurse helps the patient talk through their life story and process difficult memories in a safe, supportive way.
What We Are Measuring: The research team will look at several factors to see if the program is successful:
Effectiveness: Do PTSD symptoms improve after working with the nurse?
Feasibility and Acceptability: Do patients and nurses find this type of care easy to use and helpful?
Health Impact: Since PTSD is linked to heart health, the study will also look at whether the treatment improves things like blood pressure or physical activity levels.
Goal of the Research By the end of this study, researchers hope to show that nurses can safely and effectively provide trauma care. If successful, this model could be used across the United States to make PTSD treatment much easier to access for everyone.
The 2 groups in the trial
- NurseNETTreatment being tested
The NurseNET experimental arm involves training primary care nurses to deliver a condensed, 4 session version of Narrative Exposure Therapy (NET) to patients with PTSD symptoms. This task sharing approach integrates evidence-based trauma treatment directly into the primary care workflow to increase service access and improve select health outcomes.
- Minimally-Enhanced Usual CareExisting treatment, for comparison
The minimally-enhanced usual care arm consists of provision of psychoeducational materials regarding trauma symptoms and available community resources, followed by referral to PTSD treatment. This arm serves as a rigorous control to account for the effects of time and general medical attention while identifying the specific clinical impact of the nurse-led Narrative Exposure Therapy intervention.
Treatment: Referral to PTSD Treatment
Questions to ask the study team
- How often do I need to come in, and for how long each time?
- Are travel costs paid?
- Can I keep my own doctor?
- What happens if I want to stop?
Contact the study team: see the registry record → Contacts and Locations
Print a page for my doctorData and sources
- Registry record
- Listed on ClinicalTrials.gov.
- Official title
- A Hybrid Implementation-Effectiveness Trial of Nurse-Delivered Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Treatment in Primary Care
- Record updated
- 29 April 2026