The Patient Population

Abstract

TBH has been demonstrated to be effective and feasible with many patient populations for a wide range of diagnoses and across different healthcare settings [1–3]. According to the APA and ATA, no absolute patient contraindications exist for assessing or treating patients through TBH [4]. Rather, in order to most effectively tailor your practice, you must understand and consider the needs of the patients to whom you will deliver BHS [5]. In addition to the information covered in the previous chapter on the sociocultural, environmental, and geographic landscape of the OS, additional patient-specific considerations should be factored into the design of your practice. These include the patient population’s demographics, common diagnoses, payer composition, linguistic considerations, cultural specificities, attitudes toward TBH [5], clinical resources available to the patients, technological resources, and common barriers to accessing care [5]. This chapter discusses different patient populations to outline both the wide applicability of TBH and patient considerations when planning your TBH program.