Identifying and addressing mental health providers' perceived barriers to clinical video telehealth utilization.

OBJECTIVE

Clinical video telehealth (CVT) is an innovative modality to provide care directly to Veterans' homes. Despite prior training initiatives, CVT remains underutilized. This project sought to better understand barriers to implementation and to compare responses of CVT utilizers versus nonutilizers.

METHOD

Mental health staff were invited to complete an online anonymous survey on their use of CVT in clinical practice.

RESULTS

A total of 159 mental health staff completed the survey. Although the majority of the sample endorsed personal use of a video chat program, less than half reported using CVT for patient care. Among nonutilizers, lack of training was the most frequently endorsed barrier to CVT use whereas administrative burden was the most frequently endorsed barrier by utilizers.

CONCLUSIONS

This study extends existing literature by determining barriers to CVT adoption. It identifies several barriers among utilizers versus nonutilizers. Discussion includes potential guidelines for overcoming barriers to CVT utilization.