Accepted for/Published in: JMIR Human Factors
Date Submitted: May 31, 2021
Date Accepted: Jan 3, 2022
The use of telehealth in psychological counselling of adult vulnerable patients with rheumatic diseases and diabetes: An explorative study inspired by participatory design
ABSTRACT
Background:
Video consultation is increasingly used in different healthcare settings in order to reach patients. However, little is known about telehealth in psychological treatment for patients with somatic and chronic conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis and diabetes.
Objective:
This study aims to provide new insight into the development of an app to support the psychological treatment and video based intervention.
Methods:
This study was inspired by participatory design and a qualitative approach. The content of the intervention was developed through user involvement and evaluated by individual interviews with patients and psychologists as well as questionnaires.
Results:
We co-created an app that targeted patients with rheumatic diseases and diabetes in relation to the psychological challenges of living with chronic diseases. Video based interventions was described under the four themes “The good relation despite physical distance”, “The comfort of being at home”, “The pros of saving time on transport and energy” and “A therapeutic alliance at a distance”.
Conclusions:
Psychological treatment in relation to somatic care can be provided by video and supported by tailored information and tools delivered in an app without losing quality of care. To ensure a good alliance between the patient and the psychologist, a first face-to-face meeting is important. Being in their own home provided the patients with a safe environment, increased accessibility, and reduced travel time to the hospital.
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Copyright
© The authors. All rights reserved. This is a privileged document currently under peer-review/community review (or an accepted/rejected manuscript). Authors have provided JMIR Publications with an exclusive license to publish this preprint on it's website for review and ahead-of-print citation purposes only. While the final peer-reviewed paper may be licensed under a cc-by license on publication, at this stage authors and publisher expressively prohibit redistribution of this draft paper other than for review purposes.