Posttraumatic stress disorder treatment for Operation Enduring Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom combat veterans through a civilian community-based telemedicine network.

Background: Telemedicine holds great potential to improve access to care and to reduce barriers to treatment for military populations with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This study sought to integrate the use of telemedicine mental health treatment services by a community healthcare provider to military populations residing in a rural location and to compare the equivalency of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) administered via telemedicine and traditional face-to-face therapy.

Subjects And Methods: Study subjects were men or women 18 years of age or older who had served in Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) and/or Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) and were diagnosed with PTSD.