An international survey examining the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on telehealth use among mental health professionals.
Journal: Journal of psychiatric research
Volume: 148
Issue:
Year of Publication: 2022
Affiliated Institutions:
School of Psychology, University of Ottawa, Jean-Jacques Lussier Pvt., Vanier Building, Ottawa, Ontario, KN N, Canada.
School of Psychology, University of Ottawa, Jean-Jacques Lussier Pvt., Vanier Building, Ottawa, Ontario, KN N, Canada. Electronic address: ckogan@uottawa.ca.
Departments of Psychiatry and Epidemiology, Columbia University and New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, USA.
Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, NY, USA.
Centro de Investigación y Docencia Económica, Mexico City, Mexico.
Department of Psychiatry, American University of Beirut Medical Center, Beirut, Lebanon.
Training and Research Centre, Mental-health clinic No. named after N.A. Alekseev, Moscow, Russian Federation.
Japanese Society of Psychiatry and Neurology, Tokyo, Japan.
Center for Global Mental Health Research, National Institute of Psychiatry Ramón de la Fuente Muñiz, Mexico City, Mexico.
Shanghai Mental Health Center and Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, People's Republic of China.
Departments of Biostatistics and Psychiatry, Columbia University and New York State Psychiatric Institute, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, USA.
Department of Psychiatry, Universidad Autonoma de Madrid, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Salud Mental (CIBERSAM), Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria La Princesa, Madrid, Spain.
Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical Faculty, Heinrich-Heine University, Düsseldorf, Germany.
Department of Psychiatry, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria.
Kyushu University, Fukuoka and Japan Depression Center, Tokyo, Japan.
Neuroscience Institute, Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa.
Faculty of Psychology, National Autonomous University of Mexico and Center for Global Mental Health Research, National Institute of Psychiatry Ramn de la Fuente Muñiz, Mexico City, Mexico.
Departments of Psychiatry and Epidemiology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, USA.
Clinical Child Psychology Program, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, USA.
Department of Psychiatry, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India.
SAMRC Unit on Risk and Resilience on Mental Disorders, Department of Psychiatry, University of Cape Town and Groote Schuur Hospital, Observatory, South Africa.
Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons and New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, USA.
Abstract summary
COVID-19 has profoundly affected the work of mental health professionals with many transitioning to telehealth to comply with public health measures. This large international study examined the impact of the pandemic on mental health clinicians' telehealth use.This survey study was conducted with mental health professionals, primarily psychiatrists and psychologists, registered with WHO's Global Clinical Practice Network (GCPN). 1206 clinicians from 100 countries completed the telehealth section of the online survey in one of six languages between June 4 and July 7, 2020. Participants were asked about their use, training (i.e., aspects of telehealth addressed), perceptions, and concerns.Since the pandemic onset, 1092 (90.5%) clinicians reported to have started or increased their telehealth services. Telephone and videoconferencing were the most common modalities. 592 (49.1%) participants indicated that they had not received any training. Clinicians with no training or training that only addressed a single aspect of telehealth practice were more likely to perceive their services as somewhat ineffective than those with training that addressed two or more aspects. Most clinicians indicated positive perceptions of effectiveness and patient satisfaction. Quality of care compared to in-person services and technical issues were the most common concerns. Findings varied by WHO region, country income level, and profession.Findings suggest a global practice change with providers perceiving telehealth as a viable option for mental health care. Increasing local training opportunities and efforts to address clinical and technological concerns is important for meeting ongoing demands.
Authors & Co-authors:
Montoya Madeline I MI
Kogan Cary S CS
Rebello Tahilia J TJ
Sadowska Karolina K
Garcia-Pacheco José A JA
Khoury Brigitte B
Kulygina Maya M
Matsumoto Chihiro C
Robles Rebeca R
Huang Jingjing J
Andrews Howard F HF
Ayuso-Mateos José Luis JL
Denny Keith K
Gaebel Wolfgang W
Gureje Oye O
Kanba Shigenobu S
Maré Karen K
Medina-Mora María Elena ME
Pike Kathleen M KM
Roberts Michael C MC
Sharan Pratap P
Stein Dan J DJ
Scott Stroup T T
Zhao Min M
Reed Geoffrey M GM
Study Outcome
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