Exploring telemental health practice before, during, and after the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

Introduction This study investigated how mental health providers' use of telemedicine has changed since the coronavirus disease (COVID) 2019 pandemic and their expectations for continuing to use it once the pandemic ends. Methods A 15-min online survey was completed by 175 practicing and licensed telemental health providers who use telemedicine. In addition to personal and professional demographic items, the survey included items about the frequency of telemedicine use, proportion of caseload served by telemedicine, comfort using telemedicine before and during the COVID-19 pandemic, and expectations to use telemedicine after the pandemic ends. A series of χ2 analyses, an independent samples t-test, and analyses of variance were conducted. Results The pandemic resulted in a greater proportion of telemental health providers using telemedicine on a daily basis (17% before and 40% during the pandemic; p < 0.01) and serving more than half of their caseload remotely (9.1% before and 57.7% during the pandemic; p < 0.05). Also, there was a statistically significant increase in their comfort using telemedicine before and during the pandemic ( p < 0.001). Providers reported expecting to use telemedicine more often after the pandemic ends ( M = 3.35; SD = 0.99). Expectations to provide telemental health services after the pandemic were greater for mental health counselors, providers who practiced in rural regions, and providers who served patients through out-of-pocket payments. Discussion Telemental health providers use telemedicine daily as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, with expectations of continuing to use telemedicine in practice after the pandemic. This expectation is more prominent in certain segments of providers and warrants further investigation.

Telehealth Use Among Older Adults During COVID-19: Associations With Sociodemographic and Health Characteristics, Technology Device Ownership, and Technology Learning

“…Attention to these gaps is needed since telehealth will continue to be a necessity during any future pandemic. It can also make healthcare use more convenient for many individuals, and some healthcare professionals are expected to continue to use telehealth post-COVID-19 ( Zhu et al, 2021 ). For those with behavioral healthcare needs, telehealth is not only acceptable but a preferred service delivery mode because of its convenience ( Tse et al, 2021 ).…”

Perceptions of Telemental Health Care Delivery During COVID-19: A Cross-Sectional Study With Providers, February-March 2021

“…Telemental health providers ( N = 472) completed a cross-sectional, web-based survey between February and March 2021. Emails were sent to TMH providers who used the Doxy.me telemedicine platform, sampling from which has shown to be consistent with mental health industry demographics ( 1 , 2 , 7 , 25 , 26 ). After providing electronic informed consent, providers completed a series of screening questions.…”

“…Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) ignited a shift in mental health care from in-person to remote delivery. In response to the pandemic, studies estimate over 97% of mental health providers have adopted telemental health (TMH) to supplement or replace in-person care ( 1 , 2 ). Some mental health providers’ caseloads increased by 25–50% during the pandemic with patient surges as high as 6,558% ( 1 , 3 ).…”

“…In response to the pandemic, studies estimate over 97% of mental health providers have adopted telemental health (TMH) to supplement or replace in-person care ( 1 , 2 ). Some mental health providers’ caseloads increased by 25–50% during the pandemic with patient surges as high as 6,558% ( 1 , 3 ). Telemedicine revolutionized the delivery of evidence-based mental health care ( 4 ), and proved to be a dependable solution that 90% of providers surveyed intend to use beyond the resolution of COVID-19 ( 5 ).…”

“…Telemental health providers’ perceptions about the quality of care they provide to patients remotely may vary according to when they adopted telemedicine and how frequently they use it. For example, Zhu et al ( 1 ) found that TMH providers were more comfortable with telemedicine during the pandemic than before it began. Other than this finding, little empirical attention has been paid to examining how the temporal aspects of TMH uptake affect perceptions of TMH care delivery.…”