Según un análisis externo, el programa de teleterapia escolar de Hazel Health redujo significativamente los síntomas de depresión y ansiedad en el 75 % de los estudiantes.
Hazel Health, el proveedor de telesalud escolar más importante del país, publicó hoy los resultados de un análisis externo en el que se demuestra la eficacia clínica de su programa de teleterapia patentado para estudiantes de K-12, H.E.A.R.T™ (siglas en inglés de Evaluación Temprana, Respuesta y Tratamiento de Hazel).
El análisis, realizado por el Centro de Análisis del Comportamiento del Instituto de Aprendizaje de la Universidad de Clemson, se llevó a cabo en una muestra de 3,500 estudiantes de secundaria y preparatoria de 11 estados, lo que lo convierte en uno de los estudios más importantes de evaluación de la eficacia clínica de las intervenciones de teleterapia en la escuela realizados hasta la fecha. La muestra también se caracterizó por una notable diversidad racial y étnica, ya que aproximadamente el 50 % de los participantes se identificaban como personas de color. Se calificó la gravedad de los síntomas de cada estudiante-paciente antes y después del tratamiento (a través del PHQ-9 para la depresión y el GAD-7 para la ansiedad). La duración del programa de tratamiento basado en pruebas se adaptó a cada participante, en función de sus necesidades clínicas específicas en el momento de la admisión.
After a thorough review of Hazel's data, Clemson found: "the Hazel Health protocol resulted in reducing symptoms of anxiety and depression, as demonstrated by the change in severity levels observed for both the PHQ and GAD assessments. Not only did the overwhelming majority of participants report a reduction in depression and anxiety symptoms, but there were similar consistent results between the PHQ outcomes and GAD outcomes. On both assessments, 75% of the participants fell into a lower level of severity following treatment." — William Edwards, PhD, BCBA, Director of the Center for Behavior Analysis at Clemson University Learning Institute.
Key findings from the Clemson Center for Behavior Analysis include:
- The overwhelming majority of participants experienced a clinically significant reduction in depression and anxiety symptoms — with 75% falling into a lower level of clinical severity (as defined by the PHQ-9 and GAD-7 scales) following treatment.
- Las mejoras más significativas se evidenciaron en los participantes que presentaban síntomas más graves antes del tratamiento. En el momento de la admisión, el 60 % de los participantes de la muestra presentaban síntomas de moderados a graves, según el PHQ-9 y el GAD-7. En el momento del alta, solo el 30 % de los participantes de la muestra presentaban síntomas de moderados a graves. En otras palabras, después de finalizar el tratamiento, casi el 70 % de los participantes de la muestra solo presentaron síntomas mínimos o leves que los situaban en la “zona verde”, que se considera por debajo del umbral clínico de un trastorno depresivo o de ansiedad).
- While treatment duration was individualized to each participant's clinical needs, the vast majority of participants (88%) received between 6 and 10 teletherapy sessions prior to being discharged from the program. The most common treatment duration (representing 57% of participants) was 7 sessions. A minority of participants (12%) received 11+ sessions. There was no significant correlation found between the degree of clinical improvement and treatment duration, indicating that treatment duration was appropriately matched to severity level at intake.
Beyond the scope of Clemson's evaluation, Hazel Health's internal analytics team performed additional analyses on the same data set to dig deeper into the program's clinical outcomes cut by different demographic groups:
- The clinical impact of the program was equitable across racial and ethnic groups. Non-white participants experienced similarly significant improvements as white participants — with Asian, Black, and Hispanic groups demonstrating the largest average reduction in PHQ-9 and GAD-7 scores. "This data indicates that Hazel's approach of employing a provider force that reflects the diverse communities we serve — 50% of our providers identify as BIPOC, and 40% are bilingual, speaking over 19 languages — is core to our ability to drive equitable engagement and outcomes among groups who have historically faced the highest barriers to care, particularly in mental health," said Dr. Travis Gayles, Chief Health Officer at Hazel Health.
- The clinical impact of the program was equitable across genders. While females presented with higher average severity at intake, Hazel's program drove similarly significant improvements in depression and anxiety symptoms across females and males.
"When we first co-designed Hazel's mental health solution with our school partners, our hope and hypothesis was that doubling down on schools into a central access point for healthcare could drive meaningful, equitable outcomes for young people," said Josh Golumb, CEO at Hazel Health. "We are thrilled by the data validating this hypothesis — and by the evidence that school-based interventions can produce better clinical outcomes across a wide spectrum of acuity, including in higher-severity cases. It makes clear the clinical and moral imperative of continuing to invest in this channel as a key lever to address the youth mental health crisis."
As for the company's future research plans, "This is just the beginning," said Dr. Travis Gayles, Hazel's Chief Health Officer. "This initial analysis focused on the adolescent segments of Hazel's K-12 patient population due to the age-appropriateness of the PHQ and GAD screeners. But a growing body of research on youth mental health is clear: the earlier we intervene, the more we can impact a student's psychosocial and academic trajectory. With over 40% of Hazel's patients in elementary school, early intervention is a foundational tenet of our clinical model — and we will continue to conduct research that enables educators, providers, and policy-makers to meet the evolving needs of our children across developmental stages."
