Snoswell Centaine L, Arnautovska Urska, Haydon Helen M, Siskind Dan, Smith Anthony C
Centre for Online Health, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Princess Alexandra Hospital, Ground Floor Building 33, Woolloongabba, Qld 4102, Australia; and Centre for Health Services Research, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Qld, Australia.
Faculty of Medicine, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Qld, Australia.
Aust Health Rev. 2022 Oct;46(5):544-549. doi: 10.1071/AH22078.
Objective To describe the change in telemental health service volume that resulted from the introduction of the Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) item numbers in 2020 for services provided by psychologists and psychiatrists in Australia for a 3-year period, from January 2019 to December 2021. Methods Quarterly MBS activity and cost data for mental health services provided by consultant psychiatrists, clinical psychologists, and psychologists between January 2019 and December 2021 were extracted from the MBS statistics website. Data were grouped by profession and delivery mode (in-person, telephone or videoconference) and reported using activity counts. Descriptive analysis and interrupted time-series regression analysis were conducted. Specific descriptive explorations were also conducted for psychiatrists, including: new client consultations, review or general consultations, and group consultations. Results The delivery of mental health services by telehealth (telemental health) during the pandemic has increased (P < 0.0001). When the pandemic started in March 2020, telemental health services provided by psychiatrists and psychologists increased from a combined 1-2% per quarter to 29% videoconference and 20% telephone in quarter two 2020. After the onset of the pandemic, videoconference remained the primary form of telehealth for these professions. However, the telephone accounted for approximately a third of the telehealth activity after the new item numbers were introduced. Conclusion Telemental health services are more likely to be conducted by videoconference than by telephone. The observed increase in telehealth service activity confirms how crucial appropriate funding models are to the sustainability of telehealth services in Australia. The growth in telehealth was used to support people with mental health conditions in Australia.
目的 描述2020年澳大利亚引入医疗保险福利计划（MBS）项目编号后，2019年1月至2021年12月这三年间，心理学家和精神科医生提供的远程心理健康服务量的变化情况。方法 从MBS统计网站提取2019年1月至2021年12月期间，顾问精神科医生、临床心理学家和心理学家提供的心理健康服务的季度MBS活动和成本数据。数据按专业和提供方式（面对面、电话或视频会议）分组，并以活动计数的形式报告。进行描述性分析和中断时间序列回归分析。还对精神科医生进行了具体的描述性探索，包括：新客户咨询、复诊或一般咨询以及团体咨询。结果 疫情期间远程医疗（远程心理健康）提供的心理健康服务有所增加（P < 0.0001）。2020年3月疫情开始时，精神科医生和心理学家提供的远程心理健康服务从每季度合计1%-2%增加到2020年第二季度视频会议形式的29%和电话形式的20%。疫情爆发后，视频会议仍然是这些专业远程医疗的主要形式。然而，在引入新项目编号后，电话约占远程医疗活动的三分之一。结论 远程心理健康服务更有可能通过视频会议而非电话进行。观察到的远程医疗服务活动增加证实了适当的资金模式对澳大利亚远程医疗服务可持续性的关键作用。远程医疗的增长被用于支持澳大利亚有心理健康问题的人群。
