Feasibility of Group Cognitive-Behavioral Treatment of Insomnia Delivered by Clinical Video Telehealth.
Clinical video telehealth provides a means for increasing access to psychotherapy. Insomnia is prevalent, is associated with a number of negative sequelae, and can be effectively managed with cognitive behavioral treatment of insomnia (CBT-I). Telehealth technologies can provide a means for increasing access to CBT-I.



The Tele-Insomnia program is a Veterans Health Administration (VHA) initiative in which CBT-I is delivered in a group format by telehealth. Veterans received six weekly sessions of group CBT-I, completing the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) and daily sleep diaries throughout treatment. Paired-samples t-tests were used to examine differences in each measure from the first to the last session of treatment.



There were statistically and clinically significant improvements in the ISI and all sleep diary variables with the exception of total sleep time. Video quality was excellent, and there were few connectivity problems.



Clinical video telehealth technology can be used to deliver group CBT-I in a manner that produces clinically significant improvement. This model is scalable and has been used to develop a national clinical telehealth program.
1 Corporal Michael J. Crescenz VA Medical Center , Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.|2 Perelman School of Medicine of the University of Pennsylvania , Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Philip
P
Gehrman
3 Durham VA Medical Center , Durham, North Carolina.
Mauli T
MT
Shah
4 Carl Vinson VA Medical Center , Dublin, Georgia .
Ashley
A
Miles
1 Corporal Michael J. Crescenz VA Medical Center , Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.|2 Perelman School of Medicine of the University of Pennsylvania , Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Samuel
S
Kuna
5 VA Connecticut Healthcare System , New Haven, Connecticut.|6 Yale University School of Medicine , New Haven, Connecticut.
Linda
L
Godleski
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015928:Cognitive Behavioral Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005260:Female; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010353:Patient Education as Topic; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011615:Psychotherapy, Group / Q000379:methods*; D007319:Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders / Q000628:therapy*; D017216:Telemedicine / Q000379:methods*; D014481:United States; D014493:United States Department of Veterans Affairs
behavioral health; military medicine; telehealth; telepsychiatry