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

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated adoption of telemental health (TMH). Providers with limited TMH experience faced challenges during the rapid switch to remote patient care. We investigated TMH providers’ perceptions about remote care one year into the pandemic according to when providers adopted telemedicine (i.e., before vs. after March 2020) and how much of their caseloads were served remotely (i.e., < 50% vs. ≥ 50%). Between February–March 2021, 472 TMH providers completed a cross-sectional, web-based survey that measured perceived benefits and satisfaction with telemedicine, therapeutic alliance, patient-centered communication, eHealth literacy, multicultural counseling self-efficacy, and facilitating factors of using telemedicine. Providers who began using telemedicine before the pandemic reported having better training, task-related therapeutic alliance with patients, and ability to conduct multicultural interventions, assessments, and session management. Providers who served ≥ 50% of their caseload remotely reported greater satisfaction with their practice, stronger beliefs about the benefits of telemedicine, and greater perceived effects of telemedicine on alleviating the impact of COVID-19. There were no differences in reports of patient-centered communication nor eHealth literacy. In conclusion, providers who adopted TMH more recently may require additional training and support to successfully establish a working alliance with their patients, especially with multicultural aspects of care.

Providers’ Perspectives on Telemental Health Usage After the COVID-19 Pandemic: Retrospective Analysis

“…Professionally, most providers were mental health counselors (179/369, 48.5%), psychologists (108/369, 29.3%), or social workers (54/369, 14.6%) working in individual practice settings (279/369, 75.6%) and primarily treating adult patients (18-64 years old; 308/369, 83.5%). More details regarding provider and practice characteristics are reported elsewhere [ 34 ].…”

“…In total, 495 providers agreed to participate in the study, 369 of whom had complete data for the purposes of this analysis (74.5% completion rate) [36]. The demographic characteristics of providers in the sample were consistent with those of providers in the mental health industry in the United States [13,14,30,34,37,38].…”

“…Providers were invited to participate in a cross-sectional, web-based survey between February and March 2021, the primary results of which are published elsewhere [ 34 ]. Eligible providers included English-speaking, adult (≥18 years of age), mental health providers in the United States.…”

Patients with affective disorders profit most from telemedical treatment: Evidence from a naturalistic patient cohort during the COVID-19 pandemic

“…There is no information regarding the degree of digital literacy in the study sample although it is characterized by a relatively high degree of education. Previous studies demonstrated that healthcare providers' degrees of experience with digital technologies are associated with the willingness to use these technologies and the way they are judged by their users ( 30 ). Likewise, the acceptance of telemedicine by its users is shaped by the perceived usefulness of the technologies applied, social influence and personal attitude ( 31 ).…”

Patients with affective disorders profit most from telemedical treatment: Evidence from a naturalistic patient cohort during the COVID-19 pandemic

“…There is no information regarding the degree of digital literacy in the study sample although it is characterized by a relatively high degree of education. Previous studies demonstrated that healthcare providers' degree of experience with digital technologies is associated with the willingness to use these technologies and the way they are judged by their users (28). Likewise, the acceptance of telemedicine by its users is shaped by the perceived usefulness of the technologies applied, social influence and personal attitude (29).…”