Outcomes of evidence-based psychotherapy for healthcare workers: a single-arm prospective cohort study.
10 affiliations
- 1Northwell, New Hyde Park, NY, USA. [email protected].
- 2Department of Psychiatry, Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra University, Hempstead, NY, USA. [email protected].
- 3Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research, Northwell Health, Manhasset, NY, USA. [email protected].
- 4Division of Psychiatry Research, Zucker Hillside Hospital, 75-59 263rd Street, NY, 11004, Glen Oaks, USA. [email protected].
- 5Northwell, New Hyde Park, NY, USA.
- 6Department of Psychiatry, Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra University, Hempstead, NY, USA.
- 7Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research, Northwell Health, Manhasset, NY, USA.
- 8Department of Psychology, Hofstra University, Hempstead, NY, USA.
- 9Silberman School of Social Work, Hunter College, City University of New York, New York, NY, USA.
- 10Department of Community Mental Health, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel.
Abstract
Background
Healthcare workers (HCWs) experience high rates of depression and anxiety, yet face substantial barriers to accessing mental health care, including limited availability, scheduling constraints, cost, and concerns about confidentiality and stigma. Despite widespread efforts to support HCWs well-being, there is limited research on improving access to high-quality mental health care for this population.Objective
To evaluate engagement and clinical outcomes associated with a scalable, employer-sponsored digital psychotherapy program implemented within a large health system to improve access to high-quality mental health care for HCWs and their dependents.Methods
This prospective cohort study was conducted from March 2022 through July 2024 within an employer-sponsored digital mental health program at a large integrated healthcare system. Participants were 496 adults (employees or adult dependents) who enrolled in online psychotherapy and scored ≥ 5 on the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) or Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) at baseline. Of these, 348 (70.2%) completed at least one follow-up assessment. Participants received weekly evidence-based psychotherapy delivered via a digital platform. Primary outcomes were change in PHQ-9 and GAD-7 scores from baseline to last follow-up; secondary outcomes included remission (score < 5 among those ≥ 10 at baseline) and treatment engagement (sessions attended, treatment completion).Results
Of the 496 participants who initiated psychotherapy, 348 (70.2%) completed at least one follow-up assessment. Among followed participants (mean age 35 years; 80% female), mean symptom reductions were 6.4 points on the PHQ-9 (95% confidence interval [CI], 5.7, 7.1) and 6.3 on the GAD-7 (95% CI, 5.8, 6.9; both ps < 0.001; d ≈ 1.3). In the clinical subsample, 36.5% achieved depression remission and 48.8% achieved anxiety remission. Engagement was high, with participants attending a mean of 15 sessions and 81.9% completing treatment. Treatment completion was significantly associated with greater symptom improvement.Conclusions
A scalable, health system-based digital psychotherapy model was feasible to implement and achieved high engagement and clinically meaningful improvements among HCWs receiving care. These findings suggest that health systems can expand access to high-quality mental health care for their workforce through digitally delivered, evidence-based care models.Clinical trial number
Not applicable.
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BibTeX
@article{morgenstern2026outcomes,
title = {{Outcomes of evidence-based psychotherapy for healthcare workers: a single-arm prospective cohort study.}},
author = {Jon Morgenstern and Svetlana Levak and Sean P Madden and Alexis Kuerbis and Frederick Muench and Lindsy Koroly and Courtney Bancroft and Megan Grella and Tal Eliyahu and Amit Baumel and Manavi Katechia and Manish Sapra},
journal = {BMC health services research},
year = {2026},
month = aug,
doi = {10.1186/s12913-026-15301-8},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42908008},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Outcomes of evidence-based psychotherapy for healthcare workers: a single-arm prospective cohort study.
AU - Jon Morgenstern
AU - Svetlana Levak
AU - Sean P Madden
AU - Alexis Kuerbis
AU - Frederick Muench
AU - Lindsy Koroly
AU - Courtney Bancroft
AU - Megan Grella
AU - Tal Eliyahu
AU - Amit Baumel
AU - Manavi Katechia
AU - Manish Sapra
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/08/01
JO - BMC health services research
DO - 10.1186/s12913-026-15301-8
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42908008
AB - Background Healthcare workers (HCWs) experience high rates of depression and anxiety, yet face substantial barriers to accessing mental health care, including limited availability, scheduling constraints, cost, and concerns about confidentiality and stigma. Despite widespread efforts to support HCWs well-being, there is limited research on improving access to high-quality mental health care for this population.Objective To evaluate engagement and clinical outcomes associated with a scalable, employer-sponsored digital psychotherapy program implemented within a large health system to improve access to high-quality mental health care for HCWs and their dependents.Methods This prospective cohort study was conducted from March 2022 through July 2024 within an employer-sponsored digital mental health program at a large integrated healthcare system. Participants were 496 adults (employees or adult dependents) who enrolled in online psychotherapy and scored ≥ 5 on the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) or Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) at baseline. Of these, 348 (70.2%) completed at least one follow-up assessment. Participants received weekly evidence-based psychotherapy delivered via a digital platform. Primary outcomes were change in PHQ-9 and GAD-7 scores from baseline to last follow-up; secondary outcomes included remission (score < 5 among those ≥ 10 at baseline) and treatment engagement (sessions attended, treatment completion).Results Of the 496 participants who initiated psychotherapy, 348 (70.2%) completed at least one follow-up assessment. Among followed participants (mean age 35 years; 80% female), mean symptom reductions were 6.4 points on the PHQ-9 (95% confidence interval [CI], 5.7, 7.1) and 6.3 on the GAD-7 (95% CI, 5.8, 6.9; both ps < 0.001; d ≈ 1.3). In the clinical subsample, 36.5% achieved depression remission and 48.8% achieved anxiety remission. Engagement was high, with participants attending a mean of 15 sessions and 81.9% completing treatment. Treatment completion was significantly associated with greater symptom improvement.Conclusions A scalable, health system-based digital psychotherapy model was feasible to implement and achieved high engagement and clinically meaningful improvements among HCWs receiving care. These findings suggest that health systems can expand access to high-quality mental health care for their workforce through digitally delivered, evidence-based care models.Clinical trial number Not applicable.
SN - 1472-6963
ER -