JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in rapid changes to healthcare delivery, including a shift away from in-person to virtually delivered psychotherapy. While these changes ensured timely psychotherapy provision, many concerns exist, including, but not limited to legal, clinical, cultural, practical, and privacy and/or security issues.

Objective:

This scoping review systematically mapped existing peer-reviewed research on synchronous, therapist-delivered virtual psychotherapy for individuals with a diagnosed mental illness. Data were analyzed through the lens of the Alberta Quality Matrix of Health (HQM).

Methods:

Relevant studies were identified using seven online databases. The search process was documented and reported in adherence to PRISMA for Searching (PRISMA-S) extension. Two reviewers independently charted the data for each publication considered. Results were described according to the six HQM dimensions: acceptability, accessibility, appropriateness, effectiveness, efficiency, and safety.

Results:

From 13 209 publications, 48 studies were included. Many studies measured treatment effectiveness (n=48, 100%) and acceptability (n=29, 60.4%), reporting that virtual delivery of psychotherapy was comparable to in-person delivery. Safety (n=5, 10.4%) was measured in fewer studies, while treatment accessibility, appropriateness, and efficiency were not measured in any of the included studies and only mentioned in certain studies as a future direction, hypothesis, or potential outcome.

Conclusions:

Although treatment acceptability and effectiveness are the main aspects of healthcare quality investigated, there is a lack of research surrounding treatment accessibility, appropriateness, efficiency, and safety. Future research should address these dimensions of quality to ensure that quality care is provided to those receiving virtual psychotherapies. Clinical Trial: No trial registration was required for this scoping review.