Deliver Psychological First Aid with the Help of New Mobile App

By DCoE Strategic Communications

The new mobile app “Psychological First Aid” or “PFA Mobile,” supports providers and other response workers who provide psychological care to adults, families and children affected by natural or man-made disasters and emergencies. Developed through a collaborative effort among the Department of Veterans Affairs National Center for PTSD, National Child Traumatic Stress Network and National Center for Telehealth and Technology (T2), the app was designed to meet the challenges faced by first responders by making information and resources associated with response efforts readily accessible to them.

Materials in this application are adapted from the Psychological First Aid Field Operations Guide (2nd Edition), which has been used for successful disaster response around the world for the past six years.

Features of the app include:

■Summaries of psychological first aid fundamentals

■Intervention strategies for specific concerns and needs of survivors

■Mentor tips for applying psychological first aid in the field

■A self-assessment tool

■Easy forms for collecting data and making referrals

“PFA Mobile,” is free and currently only available for Apple users (iPhone, iPad and iPod touch). It will be available for Android devices in 2013. To learn more, read this article written by Dr. Julie Kinn, a clinical and research psychologist with T2 who leads the center’s mobile health application development.

T2 is a Defense Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury center and serves as the primary Department of Defense office for cutting-edge approaches in applying technology to psychological health. Information about other mobile apps available for health professionals and the military community is at t2health.org.

Psychological First Aid? There’s An App For That

Written by Dr. Julie Kinn

I’m not alone in saying my heart goes out to those impacted by Hurricane Isaac. As a clinical psychologist, I have treated many children and adults who carry trauma symptoms long after danger has passed from natural or man-made disasters. We health care providers are keenly aware that disasters happen many times a year, and that those treating the survivors rarely have a surplus of resources.

To help support providers on the frontlines of care in emergencies, the VA’s National Center for PTSD and the DoD’s National Center for Telehealth & Technology (T2) have released PFA Mobile . This free mobile application assists providers in putting Psychological First Aid (PFA) into practice in the field. The app includes a brief refresher on the main components of PFA, assists with mentorship of other providers, and allows providers to self-assess and develop insight into readiness to provide PFA.

Some primary features that make the app so appropriate for disaster situations include:

 ■Easy forms for collecting data in difficult circumstances

 ■Intervention strategies tailored to unique conditions

 ■No requirement for internet or phone connectivity to run

PFA Mobile is currently available for iOS (Apple) devices and will deploy for Android devices in 2013. If you are a first responder or frontline care provider, I suggest you take it for a test drive and become familiar with this excellent resource.

Dr. Julie Kinn is a clinical and research psychologist. She leads mobile health application development for the DoD’s National Center for Telehealth & Technology (T2).