Smith Katharine, Torous John, Cipriani Andrea
Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom.
Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust, Warneford Hospital, Oxford, United Kingdom.
JMIR Ment Health. 2022 Oct 14;9(10):e37939. doi: 10.2196/37939.
COVID-19 has accelerated the use of telehealth and technology in mental health care, creating new avenues to increase both access to and quality of care. As video visits and synchronous telehealth become more routine, the field is now on the verge of embracing asynchronous telehealth, with the potential to radically transform mental health. However, sustaining the use of basic synchronous telehealth, let alone embracing asynchronous telehealth, requires new and immediate effort. Programs to increase digital literacy and competencies among both clinicians and patients are now critical to ensure all parties have the knowledge, confidence, and ability to equitably benefit from emerging innovations. This editorial outlines the immediate potential as well as concrete steps toward realizing the potential of a new, more personalized, scalable mental health system.
新冠疫情加速了远程医疗和技术在精神卫生保健中的应用,开辟了增加医疗服务可及性和提高医疗质量的新途径。随着视频问诊和同步远程医疗日益常态化,该领域如今正处于接纳异步远程医疗的边缘,而异步远程医疗有可能从根本上改变精神卫生状况。然而,维持基本同步远程医疗的使用,更不用说接纳异步远程医疗,都需要立即付出新的努力。提高临床医生和患者数字素养及能力的项目,对于确保各方都具备知识、信心和能力,以公平地从新兴创新中受益至关重要。这篇社论概述了新的、更个性化、可扩展的精神卫生系统的近期潜力以及实现这一潜力的具体步骤。