IntroductionTelepsychiatry (TP) uses communication technology to provide psychiatric consultation to patients unable to reach consultation services. Due to COVID-19 outbreak, many mental health services implemented TP. The University of Milan developed a patient-specialist video consultation service: the Cure Ospedaliere Domiciliari (Home Hospital Care system; COD20).ObjectivesThe aim of the study was to assess the digital skills of the mental health professionals and to assess both the confidence and the satisfaction with the COD20 platform, as well as their skills in handling certain degrees of technostress.MethodsMental health professionals of the outpatient clinics of the department were interviewed through an online anonymous survey. Data collected were sociodemographic, job position, educational level, digital skills, adequacy of devices in the workplace, satisfaction degree, ease of use of the COD20 tool, as well as main technostress score. Data were analyzed using SPSS v.27.ResultsAmong 95 subjects, more than 95% of the sample is familiar with the use of electronic devices, such as smartphones, tablets, and computers; 93% employs appropriate devices in the workplace. Only 12% had an ECDL certificate, while the majority of the sample (77%) learnt the use of electronic devices independently. The levels of the digital skills were considered intermediate-advanced for communication and information research. Despite all the respondents being aware of the use of COD20, only 50% received adequate training; 77% deemed it worthwhile to attend an individual or a group training (40% vs 43%). Telemedicine was used for clinical interviews by 80% of the sample: 41% of these used Telemedicine at least 10 times/year, 18% between 10 and 20 times/year, and 42% more than 20 times/year. With regard to the appreciation of the COD20 platform, 75% of the sample considered this tool useful, while 61% considered it easy to use. There is a significant correlation between the ease of use and a higher level of education (p<0,00). Among all categories, psychologists were more likely to use the platform compared to other workers ( p=0,016). The average score of technostress among operators was 22.78±6.84 (maximum score: 45).Image:Image 2:ConclusionsTP can improve mental health professionals’ working conditions. The COD20 platform represents a valid implementation in mental health care. It is necessary to provide training and updated programs for healthcare workers in order to facilitate the use of TP tools.Disclosure of InterestNone Declared
IntroductionTelepsychiatry (TP) is the use of telecommunication technologies to provide psychiatric assessment, diagnosis, treatment, and consultation. During the COVID-19 outbreak, TP has shown potential for connecting with people unable to access traditional in-person services, and also enabling patients to receive mental health care safely from home. The Home Hospital care system (Cure Ospedaliere Domiciliari; COD20) is a video consultation service developed by the University of Milan.ObjectivesWe aimed at investigating the potential of Telemedicine (TM) in a sample of psychiatric patients.MethodsAs of now, 208 consecutive patients of an outpatient clinic belonging to ASST Fatebenefratelli-Sacco in Milan were interviewed through an online anonymous survey. Data collected were sociodemographic, job position, educational level, digital skills and both satisfaction degree and ease of use of the COD20 tool. Data were analyzed using SPSS v.27.ResultsAmong 208 patients, 87.7% had Internet access, 94.5% used a smartphone, 74% used a computer and 37% used a tablet. The levels of digital skills were considered intermediate-advanced in communication and information research for the majority of the cases. A high percentage of patients (80.8%) learned how to use electronic devices by themselves, while only 12.3% had an ECDL certificate. The most represented diagnoses were Mood Disorders (44.5%) and Anxiety Disorders (14%). The majority of the sample (54.8%) was visited using TM for clinical interviews: 24.7% of them used TM at least 10 times/year, and 19.8% more than 20 times/year. Among all the clinical interviews conducted using TM, 61% concerned psychiatric consultation, while 30% were dedicated to psychotherapy. The most used tool was the COD20 platform (21.9%): it was considered easy to use in 47.9% of cases, while 43.8% of patients would like to use it again in the future. The main reasons leading to the usage of TM were the difficulties in reaching the ambulatory (for 43.9%) and the workplace (for 30%).Image:Image 2:ConclusionsTM represents a valid implementation in the traditional clinical practice, and we showed it is well received in terms of appreciation and ease of use. The COD20 platform could increase access to care, and overcome barriers such as distance, travel costs and time management. TP contributes to develop a more inclusive healthcare process for patients, with better performance in terms of compliance.Disclosure of InterestNone Declared
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.