Assessing the Effectiveness of Telemental Health Care Post-pandemic: A Provider's Perspective

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic elicited an abrupt uptake of virtual mental health care delivery to attend to an increased demand for mental health services in an efficient way, amid pandemic restrictions. This research study explores the experience of telemental health care delivery among resident and practicing psychiatrists to examine how their care is impacted by virtual delivery and their approaches to assessing the effectiveness of their virtual care. This qualitative study used semi-structured interviewing and thematic analysis to identify significant concepts. It included eight post-graduate year four (PGY4) resident psychiatrists and two practicing psychiatrists. The research findings indicate that elements of mental health care relating to patient information, safety, privacy, and therapeutic alliance are impacted when delivered virtually, and that patient suitability is an important factor for the success of virtual care. Findings also suggest that there exists a gap in both practice and in theory for methods or tools used to assess the effectiveness of telemental health care. Future research will be necessary to 1) adapt existing mental health care assessment tools to account for the nuances of virtual delivery, and 2) to implement in practice policies that ensure virtual care is used only with patients for whom it is suitable.