Hunsinger Natalie, Hammarlund Rebecca, Crapanzano Kathleen
Department of Psychiatry, LSU-OLOL Psychiatry Residency Program, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center-Baton Rouge, Baton Rouge, LA.
Department of Academic Affairs, LSU-OLOL Psychiatry Residency Program, Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center, Baton Rouge, LA.
Ochsner J. 2021 Winter;21(4):335-340. doi: 10.31486/toj.21.0039.
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic brought an unprecedented shift in health care toward telepsychiatry. This worldwide phenomenon was necessary to meet community health needs while prioritizing patient and provider safety. This study explored the impact of changes in delivery of mental health care services during the pandemic on patient and provider satisfaction with care. Providers and patients at an academic outpatient psychiatric clinic completed an electronic, cross-sectional, anonymous survey. Items probed perceived convenience and comfort with in-person and telehealth visits, COVID-19-related depression and anxiety, and visit modality preferences. The response rate was 80.0% for providers and 21.0% for patients. Providers found telehealth more convenient than in-person visits during the pandemic, (11)=1.66, =0.024. Patients reported no differences in convenience (=0.497) or comfort (=0.535) ratings. As the pandemic continues, 83.3% of providers and 50.0% of patients indicated they would prefer telehealth visits. Only 16.7% of providers and 25.0% of patients would prefer telehealth visits continue after the pandemic. Preferred appointment type during the pandemic was not significantly correlated with pandemic-related anxiety or depression. Providers showed a strong preference for telehealth visits during the pandemic, whereas patients felt equal convenience and comfort with care in both telehealth and in-person visits. Fewer participants preferred to use the telehealth modality after the pandemic ends. Higher COVID-19-related depression or anxiety did not impact preference toward visit type. These results suggest that telepsychiatry is an acceptable, although not always preferred, modality for psychiatric care during the global pandemic.
2019年冠状病毒病（COVID-19）大流行使医疗保健领域以前所未有的方式转向远程精神病学。这一全球现象对于满足社区卫生需求同时优先考虑患者和提供者的安全是必要的。本研究探讨了大流行期间心理健康护理服务提供方式的变化对患者和提供者护理满意度的影响。一家学术门诊精神病诊所的提供者和患者完成了一项电子横断面匿名调查。调查项目涉及对面对面就诊和远程医疗就诊的便利性和舒适度的感知、与COVID-19相关的抑郁和焦虑以及就诊方式偏好。提供者的回复率为80.0%，患者的回复率为21.0%。提供者发现在大流行期间远程医疗比面对面就诊更方便，(11)=1.66，=0.024。患者报告在便利性（=0.497）或舒适度（=0.535）评分上没有差异。随着大流行的持续，83.3%的提供者和50.0%的患者表示他们更喜欢远程医疗就诊。只有16.7%的提供者和25.0%的患者希望在大流行后继续进行远程医疗就诊。大流行期间首选的预约类型与大流行相关的焦虑或抑郁没有显著相关性。提供者在大流行期间强烈倾向于远程医疗就诊，而患者在远程医疗和面对面就诊中对护理的便利性和舒适度感受相同。在大流行结束后，较少的参与者更喜欢使用远程医疗方式。与COVID-19相关的较高抑郁或焦虑并未影响对就诊类型的偏好。这些结果表明，在全球大流行期间，远程精神病学是一种可接受的（尽管并非总是首选的）精神病护理方式。
