JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

In March 2020, the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared the COVID-19 virus to be a pandemic. This led to a rapid shift to remote mental health care services using information and communication technologies to help control the spread of the virus. From the beginning of the pandemic up until February 2021, 49.5 million telehealth consultations were made in Australia - an increase from 6.1% in March 2020 to 20% in February 2021.

Objective:

The objective of this study was to evaluate the accessibility of telementalhealth and identify unique challenges and facilitators to using telehealth for mental health consultations during the COVID-19 pandemic from the clinician and clinic staff’s point-of-view. This will inform research to improve accessibility of telementalhealth.

Methods:

All staff at a busy suite of mental health clinics The Turner Clinics, Monash University Melbourne Australia, were invited to be interviewed about their experience of delivering mental health services using telehealth during the pandemic including perceptions of patients’ experience of using telementalhealth. A thematic analysis was conducted on transcripts of semi-structured interviews to explore their experiences including what they felt were barriers and facilitators to accessibility to telementalhealth consultations.

Results:

Interviews were conducted with a range of health care providers (neuropsychologists, clinical and provisional psychologists, and administrative staff) who had been directed involved in telehealth consultations at the Turner Clinics as the primary option for conducting appointments. The inductive analysis of the interview transcripts identified five themes: 1) physical and psychiatric morbidity, 2) client setting and privacy, 3) distance and time, 4) technology, and 5) policies, processes and procedures. Numerous barriers and facilitators to telementalhealth accessibility were identified within these themes.

Conclusions:

The delivery of mental health care services is likely to adopt a hybrid model even after the end of the COVID-19 pandemic. In order to improve the accessibility of telementalhealth, infrastructure should support this to facilitate accessibility for people who are unable to attend mental health consultations physically, but also enable access for those who benefit from face-to-face consultations. These should be addressed with the creation of telehealth-centred procedures at clinics, clinical and public policy changes, and technological solutions. Clinical Trial: Not a trial.