Telehealth Acceptability and Feasibility Among People Served in a Community Behavioral Health System During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

The authors examined the acceptability and feasibility of telehealth services shortly after their rapid introduction into a community behavioral health agency as part of the response to the COVID-19 pandemic.Methods: Individuals receiving services during May 8-18, 2020, from behavioral health programs that had introduced telehealth in March 2020, were invited to participate in a survey regarding their perceptions of the telehealth services. Ordinal logistic regressions were used to test for differences in survey responses in three ways: between program types, between the 2020 sample and a 2018 sample, and between individuals reported by staff to be distressed or not distressed by the COVID-19 pandemic.Results: Of 1,482 survey respondents, .80% reported that their ability to connect to staff, receive support, and get an appointment was at least as great as before the pandemic. Among 80% of respondents indicating interest in continuing remote services after the pandemic ended, 83% preferred a mix of remote and face-to-face services. From February 2020 to April 2020, total service utilization remained stable for treatment, outreach, and housing programs. In addition, mental health-related hospital utilization did not increase. Conclusions:The findings of this study suggest that telehealth, including telephone-based services, is an acceptable and even preferred service delivery mode for clients with severe mental illness. Continued investigation into the optimal dosing of face-to-face versus remote services in various settings is needed to inform service practice during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Child and Adolescent Mental Health Policy and Practice Implementation

“…Adolescents appeared to prefer telehealth to in-person services delivery [32,33], and states with high rates of coronavirus positivity and high rates of unmet need were most likely to continue use of telehealth post-pandemic. Similar benefits have been reported in studies of use of telehealth to deliver mental health services to adults by primary care providers [34] and specialty mental health care providers [35] during the pandemic.…”

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

“…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 ). Our findings indicate that solutions for closing the digital divide and increasing telehealth use among older adults are readily achievable with access to ICT devices and the internet and lessons on how to use technology, especially for low-income older adults.…”

COVID-19 medicare benefits schedule telehealth for private psychiatric outpatient care in Victoria, Australia

“…Prior to COVID-19, an umbrella review of the implementation of telehealth in mental health services found that outcomes appear comparable with face-to-face interventions with similar effectiveness and participant adherence, good therapeutic alliance and high patient satisfaction. 10 However, the umbrella review found discrepancies with reported cost-effectiveness. One review found sixty percent of studies indicated telehealth to be less expensive than face-to-face care due to reduced travel time and need for patients and their families to take time off work.…”