Telemedicine has been successful in proving its effectiveness and in overcoming the main barriers in
managing long Covid-19 or post Covid-19 complications. Recognizing the necessity of Telemedicine,
considering the current crisis both to address increased treatment needs and to prevent unnecessary in-person contact, Apollo
Tele Health (ATH) has adopted an innovative way of Telemedicine in managing patients and helping them recover from post
covid complications thus realizing the full potential of advancements in technology for high quality health care delivery. With the
onset of Covid-19, ATH has proven to be an essential tool for prevention, diagnosis and treatment of COVID 19 and to mitigate
the post covid complications. This has been possible by the use of information and communication technologies (ICT) for the
exchange of valid health information. Burden on healthcare in India is eased by an integrated effort of the government and other
private sector initiatives such as Apollo Tele Health. Telemedicine platform can be used effectively for managing post Covid-19
complications and health education on various risk factors of Covid-19.
Aims: This descriptive study aims to understand the positive impact created by tele counselling services on patients’ mental health during the COVID pandemic.
Study Design: Qualitative Descriptive study.
Place and Duration of Study: Medical Response Center, Apollo Telehealth.
Methodology: The sample consisted of 496 patients (194 Female, 301 male) who called the helpline number to seek psychological counselling over the period of 1 year 7 months (January 2020 to July 2021). The inclusion criteria included clients who had completed the counselling session successfully, Clients between 10 years and above, and Clients who availed the psychological counselling sessions.Clients below 9 years of age and Clients who are not enrolled as corporate beneficiaries of Apollo Telehealth were excluded from the research study.
Results: The majority of utilization was observed in the 18 states captured are Maharashtra (32%) followed by Karnataka (14%), Punjab (9%), Telangana (8%), Delhi (5%). It was also observed that 4% of our clients were slightly cautious about disclosing the state they were calling from however completed the session with us. The majority of clients (61%) were men aged between 30-39 years, married (65%).
86% seeked help for their self-issues and 14% called for support and guidance for their family and friends. Clients approached primarily for (37%) emotional issues followed by Interpersonal issues (22%).
Conclusion: The study findings support the continued use of telehealth services offered by mental health providers and organizations, as respondents indicated a desire to use these services as it was found to be more useful and helpful in dealing with their mental health issues and conditions during the pandemic. In summary, the results demonstrate a large shift in telehealth use and provide an encouraging outlook for the use of tele counselling and tele mental health services after the COVID-19 pandemic.
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