Department of Psychology, 7582Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital, Saint Petersburg, FL, USA.
Department of Psychology, 2739Western Carolina University, Cullowhee, NC, USA.
J Child Health Care. 2022 Jun;26(2):172-184. doi: 10.1177/13674935211007329. Epub 2021 Mar 29.
The coronavirus pandemic and in-person contact restrictions necessitated rapid implementation of telehealth, specifically videoconferencing, to provide essential care to patients. This study surveyed 25 pediatric behavioral health providers at a single center during their first month of utilizing telehealth during coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Twenty-one participants completed a pre-questionnaire distributed prior to telehealth service delivery, and 23 providers completed a post-questionnaire approximately three weeks later. Results indicate the majority of behavioral health providers had no experience providing telehealth services prior to COVID-19. The majority of participating behavioral health providers utilized telehealth to provide pediatric patient care within the first month of access to telehealth. Participants' confidence in their ability to provide telehealth services significantly increased within the first month of implementation, regardless of previous training in telehealth. This study identified differences between anticipated and actual barriers to treatment, with technological issues identified as the largest actual barrier to service delivery. Participants indicated a preference for in-person service delivery, which they reported allows for better rapport-building, behavioral observations, reduced technological barriers, and fewer distractions. However, most participants reported they intend to continue utilizing telehealth for certain types of behavioral health services (e.g., diagnostic interviews and outpatient therapy) after the pandemic has subsided.
冠状病毒大流行和人际接触限制需要迅速实施远程医疗，特别是视频会议，以向患者提供基本护理。本研究调查了一家单一中心的 25 名儿科行为健康提供者，他们在冠状病毒病 2019（COVID-19）期间首次使用远程医疗服务的第一个月。21 名参与者在远程医疗服务提供之前完成了一份预先分发的问卷，而 23 名提供者大约在三周后完成了一份后续问卷。结果表明，大多数行为健康提供者在 COVID-19 之前没有提供远程医疗服务的经验。大多数参与的行为健康提供者在获得远程医疗后的第一个月内利用远程医疗为儿科患者提供护理。在实施的第一个月内，无论之前是否接受过远程医疗培训，参与者提供远程医疗服务的能力的信心都显著增强。本研究确定了治疗预期和实际障碍之间的差异，技术问题被确定为服务提供的最大实际障碍。参与者表示更喜欢亲自提供服务，他们认为这可以更好地建立融洽关系、进行行为观察、减少技术障碍和减少干扰。然而，大多数参与者报告说，他们打算在大流行缓解后继续将远程医疗用于某些类型的行为健康服务（例如，诊断访谈和门诊治疗）。
