Addressing telehealth's foremost barrier: provider as initial gatekeeper

Telemedicine in Cardiology: Enhancing Access to Care and Improving Patient Outcomes

Telemedicine has gained significant recognition, particularly since the COVID-19 pandemic. However, its roots date back to its significant role during major epidemic outbreaks such as severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), H1N1 and H7N9 influenza, and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS), where alternate means of accessing healthcare were adopted to combat the outbreak while limiting the spread of the virus. In Sub-Saharan Africa, telemedicine has supported healthcare delivery, patient and professional health education, disease prevention, and surveillance, starting with its first adoption in Ethiopia in 1980. In the United States, telemedicine has significantly impacted cardiology, particularly at-home monitoring programs, which have proven highly effective for patients with abnormal heart rhythms. Devices such as Holter monitors, blood pressure monitors, and implantable cardioverter-defibrillators have reduced mortality rates and hospital readmissions while improving healthcare efficiency by saving healthcare costs. However, the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the adoption of telemedicine, as evidenced by a dramatic increase in telemedicine visits at institutions like New York University (NYU) Langone Health during and post-COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, telemedicine has also facilitated cardiac rehabilitation and improved access to specialized cardiology care in rural and underserved areas, reducing disparities in cardiovascular health outcomes. As technology advances, telemedicine is poised to play an increasingly significant role in cardiology and healthcare at large, enhancing patient management, healthcare efficiency, and cost reduction. This review underscores the significance of telemedicine in cardiology, its challenges, and future directions.

Changes in attitudes towards telemedicine in acute burn care following the Covid-19 pandemic

BACKGROUND

Telemedical referrals after burn injury had been shown to be advantageous over telephone referrals for multiple reasons, however there were several key barriers towards complete implementation. The Covid-19 pandemic facilitated the adoption of telemedicine to ensure the safety of both clinicians and patients. Due to the circumstances, it was unclear whether the pre-pandemic barriers still existed despite the complete implementation of telemedicine. This study aims to evaluate clinicians' views about the barriers towards implementation of a specific telemedicine system for burns referrals, and their changing attitudes following the pandemic, to identify key domains for improvement in current and future telemedicine systems.

METHODS

A questionnaire was created to evaluate the attitudes of referring clinicians towards telemedicine, following literature searches and administration of a pilot questionnaire. This was administered via telephone to staff working in EDs and MIUs which referred to the South-West United Kingdom Burns Network using the Medical Data Solutions and Services (MDSAS) system, in both 2019 and 2022. A statistical analysis was performed to compare the attitudes of clinicians towards telemedicine both pre- and post-pandemic.

RESULTS

100 respondents completed the survey in 2019 and 70 in 2022, with similar demographics of respondents. Out of the twelve barriers identified, the lack of reliable Wi-Fi and need to duplicate notes were identified as the main obstacles to implementation in both time periods. In both years, the single greatest barrier reported was poor access to reliable Wi-Fi (p = 0.944). Miscommunication between clinicians using the system, inadequate numbers of devices and financial constraints were identified less frequently as barriers in 2022 than 2019 (p = 0.005, p = 0.047 and p < 0.001 respectively). However, significantly more respondents reported time pressures when waiting for a response to their telemedicine referral in 2022 (p = 0.022).

CONCLUSION

Overall, clinicians displayed a positive attitude towards the MDSAS system for acute burns, with clinicians identifying fewer concerns with the system following the Covid-19 pandemic. However, concerns over the time pressures that this telemedicine system places on the referring clinician and existing Wi-Fi infrastructure persist. Further streamlining of the system and investment in internet access is recommended, with continued input from all stakeholders.

Barriers to and Facilitators of Key Stakeholders Influencing Successful Digital Implementation of Remote Monitoring Solutions: Mixed Methods Analysis

BACKGROUND

Implementation of remote monitoring solutions and digital alerting tools in health care has historically been challenging, despite the impetus provided by the COVID-19 pandemic. To date, a health systems-based approach to systematically describe barriers and facilitators across multiple domains has not been undertaken.

OBJECTIVE

We aimed to undertake a comprehensive mixed methods analysis of barriers and facilitators for successful implementation of remote monitoring and digital alerting tools in complex health organizations.

METHODS

A mixed methods approach using a modified Technology Acceptance Model questionnaire and semistructured interviews mapped to the validated fit among humans, organizations, and technology (HOT-fit) framework was undertaken. Likert frequency responses and deductive thematic analyses were performed.

RESULTS

A total of 11 participants responded to the questionnaire and 18 participants to the interviews. Key barriers and facilitators could be mapped onto 6 dimensions, which incorporated aspects of digitization: system use (human), user satisfaction (human), environment (organization), structure (organization), information and service quality (technology), and system quality (technology).

CONCLUSIONS

The recommendations proposed can enhance the potential for future remote sensing solutions to be more successfully integrated in health care practice, resulting in more successful use of "virtual wards."

TRIAL REGISTRATION

ClinicalTrials.gov NCT05321004; https://www.clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT05321004.

Challenges of Implementing Telemedicine Technology: A systematized Review

Background

Today, the technologies in the world are rapidly evolving, and global infrastructure of information is spreading rapidly. The health system of different countries is facing a variety of challenges in order to apply telemedicine services. The aim of this study was to determine the challenges facing the health system of different countries in the application of telemedicine.

Method

The present research was conducted in 2022 as a systematized review of studies related to challenges of telemedicine. In this study, Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews (PRISMA) and Critical Appraisal Skills Program (CASP) guidelines were used to assess the articles. The keywords "telemedicine," "telehealth," "E-health," and "tele care" were used in combination with the Boolean operators OR and AND. The ISI Web of Science, PubMed, Scopus, Science Direct, Ovid, Pro Quest, Wiley, and Google Scholar were searched.

Results

In this study, based on the search strategy, databases were searched from January 2012 to January 2022, and in the final stage, analysis was performed on 27 selected identified articles. The use of telemedicine technology faced major formality and legality, required bandwidth, development of multilingual systems, economic efficiency, available patterns, payment for services, moral barriers, social status, differences and national and legal contradictions in the world, lack of insurance coverage challenges, and so on. Recognizing gaps and challenges can provide a way to fill these gaps and create opportunities for improvement.

Conclusions

Utilizing telemedicine technology can be considered as an effective step in the health system. This technology has weaknesses that may challenge it. Successful application of telemedicine technology cannot be very effective without removing these barriers.

Remote hearing-aid delivery and support: perspectives of patients and their hearing care providers

OBJECTIVE

To explore the perspectives of patients and hearing care providers (HCPs) about an adult remote hearing-aid delivery service implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic.

DESIGN

Service evaluation via surveys. The patient survey measured satisfaction with the service, perceived hearing-aid handling skills, and preferences for future services. The HCP survey explored the impact of teleaudiology on outcomes compared to in-person care and factors important for successful teleaudiology.

STUDY SAMPLE

378 patients and 14 HCPs.

RESULTS

Patients were highly satisfied with the service and self-reported good hearing-aid handling skills. However, 2 in 3 patients said they would prefer a future hearing-aid fitting to be in-person rather than remote. HCPs thought teleaudiology had positive impacts on convenience, accessibility, and flexibility, but negative impacts on communication, rapport, and the quality of care. HCPs considered computer literacy and individual preferences to be important for successful remote care; the age of the patient was considered less important.

CONCLUSIONS

Patients were generally highly satisfied with the service and for 1 in 3 it was their preferred mode of future hearing-aid fitting. Future services should be aware that a one-size-fits-all approach will not satisfy all patients and that teleaudiology should be offered on the basis of individual preference.

Variation in telehealth use for endocrine care: Patterns and predictors under the "new normal"

INTRODUCTION

Use of telehealth for outpatient endocrine care remains common since onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, though the context for its use has matured. We aimed to describe the variation in telehealth use for outpatient endocrine visits under these "new normal" conditions and examine the patient, clinician-, and organization-level factors predicting use.

METHODS

Retrospective cross-sectional study using data from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Corporate Data Warehouse on 167,017 endocrine visits conducted between 3/9/21 and 3/8/22. We used mixed effects logistic regression models to examine 1) use of telehealth vs. in-person care among all visits and 2) use of telephone vs. video among the subsample of telehealth visits.

RESULTS

Visits were in person (58%), by telephone (29%), or by video (13%). Unique variability in telehealth use at each level of the analysis was 56% patient visit, 24% clinician, 18% facility. The strongest predictors were visit type (first vs. follow up) and clinician and facility characteristics. Among telehealth visits, unique variability in telephone (vs. video) use at each level was 44% patient visit, 24% clinician, 26% facility. The strongest predictors of telephone vs. video were visit type, patient age, and percent of the facility's population that was rural.

CONCLUSIONS

We found wide variation in use of telehealth for endocrinology under the "new normal". Future research should examine clinician and facility factors driving variation, as many may be amenable to influence by clinical leaders and leveraged to enhance the availability of telehealth for all clinically appropriate patients.

Identifying Inequities in Video and Audio Telehealth Services for Primary Care Encounters During COVID-19: Repeated Cross-Sectional, Observational Study

BACKGROUND

The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in rapid changes in how patient care was provided, particularly through the expansion of telehealth and audio-only phone-based care.

OBJECTIVE

The goal of this study was to evaluate inequities in video and audio-only care during various time points including the initial wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, later stages of the pandemic, and a historical control. We sought to understand the characteristics of care during this time for a variety of different groups of patients that may experience health care inequities.

METHODS

We conducted a retrospective analysis of electronic health record (EHR) data from encounters from 34 family medicine and internal medicine primary care clinics in a large, Midwestern health system, using a repeated cross-sectional, observational study design. These data included patient demographic data, as well as encounter, diagnosis, and procedure records. Data were obtained for all in-person and telehealth encounters (including audio-only phone-based care) that occurred during 3 separate time periods: an initial COVID-19 period (T2: March 16, 2020, to May 3, 2020), a later COVID-19 period (T3: May 4, 2020, to September 30, 2020), and a historical control period from the previous year (T1: March 16, 2019, to September 30, 2019). Primary analysis focused on the status of each encounter in terms of whether it was completed as scheduled, it was canceled, or the patient missed the appointment. A secondary analysis was performed to evaluate the likelihood of an encounter being completed based on visit modality (phone, video, in-person).

RESULTS

In total, there were 938,040 scheduled encounters during the 3 time periods, with 178,747 unique patients, that were included for analysis. Patients with completed encounters were more likely to be younger than 65 years old (71.8%-74.1%), be female (58.8%-61.8%), be White (75.6%-76.7%), and have no significant comorbidities (63.2%-66.8%) or disabilities (53.2%-61.1%) in all time periods than those who had only canceled or missed encounters. Effects on different subpopulations are discussed herein.

CONCLUSIONS

Findings from this study demonstrate that primary care utilization across delivery modalities (in person, video, and phone) was not equivalent across all groups before and during the COVID-19 pandemic and different groups were differentially impacted at different points. Understanding how different groups of patients responded to these rapid changes and how health care inequities may have been affected is an important step in better understanding implementation strategies for digital solutions in the future.

Perceptions and Uses of Telehealth in the Care of Older Adults

Background: Clinicians identify challenges in using telehealth with older adults, yet they continue to use it at high rates. We conducted a nation-wide survey of US clinicians to assess the views and uses of telehealth for older adults (≥65 years old); as well as the perceived advantages and challenges of telehealth and use of age-friendly telehealth practices. Materials/Methods: We distributed an online survey (Wallin Opinion Research) to assess the use of telehealth and clinicians' views on advantages/challenges of telehealth in care of older adults. Respondents were eligible if they were active US clinicians with self-attestation of patient population ≥10% older adults. The survey was distributed through established professional networks. Eligible respondents received a gift card for participation, fulfilled by a third-party vendor. Survey participation was voluntary. Completion of the survey was considered consent to participate. The study was reviewed and determined exempt by the WCG's IRB Affairs Department. SPSS Version-26 was used for descriptive statistics. Results: Approximately 13,300 surveys were distributed and there were 7,246 (55%) respondents. Over half (56%) respondents were licensed independent practitioners. The majority of respondents practiced geriatric medicine (22%) or primary care (9.7%). The most common use was in hospitals (53%), long-term care facilities (47%), and outpatient (47%) settings. The majority of respondents (55%) selected "telehealth improves healthcare for older adults by enhancing engagement between stakeholders" as a top advantage. Fewer primary care clinicians (47%) reported sufficient support in the use of telehealth, as compared with clinicians in geriatrics (62%) or other specialties (60%). A majority (65%) of respondents reported use one or more age-friendly practice (40% often; 25% always). Only 5% of respondents reported that their telehealth program never utilized age-friendly practices. Discussion and Conclusion: Clinicians use telehealth in care of older adults, across clinical roles, sites, and purposes. Our survey results suggest perceived advantages of telehealth outweigh challenges, in care of older adults. This highlights an opportunity for guidance and resources to optimizing telehealth with older adults.

Canadian Physiotherapists Integrate Virtual Care during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Purpose

To examine Canadian physiotherapists' experiences in adapting their delivery of patient care during the COVID-19 pandemic. We examine the level of strain on the profession and barriers and enablers to virtual care and provide strategies to support future virtual care implementation.

Methods

From May to October 2020, a series of eight cross-sectional survey cycles were distributed every 2-4 weeks through branches and divisions of the Canadian Physiotherapy Association, social media, and personal networks. Descriptive statistics summarized the main findings. Open ended questions were first analyzed inductively using thematic analysis, then deductively mapped to the Capability-Opportunity-Motivation Behavioural (COM-B) Model.

Results

Between 1,820 (cycle 1) and 334 (cycle 7) physiotherapists responded. Median strain level was 5/5 (cycle 1) and dropped to median 3/5 (cycles 5-8). In cycle 1, 55% of physiotherapists had ceased in-person care, while 41% were providing modified in-person care. Of these physiotherapists, 79% were offering virtual care. As modified in-person care increased, virtual care continued as a substantial aspect of practice. Physiotherapists identified barriers (e.g., lack of hands-on care) and enabling factors (e.g., greater accessibility to patients) for virtual care. In-depth examination of the barriers and enablers through the COM-B lens identified potential interventions to support future virtual care implementation, including education and training resources for physiotherapists and communication and advocacy to patients and the public on the value of virtual care.

Conclusions

Canadian physiotherapists exhibited high adaptability in response to COVID-19 through the rapid and widespread use of virtual care. By creating an in-depth understanding of the barriers and enablers to virtual care, along with potential interventions, this work will facilitate future opportunities to support and enhance physiotherapists' delivery of virtual care.

Endocrinologists' Experiences With Telehealth: A Qualitative Study With Implications for Promoting Sustained Use

OBJECTIVE

Endocrinology is well-suited to telehealth, with high rates of use and known benefits. Clinician attitudes toward telehealth will be critical to ensuring sustained use after the pandemic. We examined endocrinologists' experiences with synchronous telehealth to identify factors affecting experiences with and acceptance of the technology.

METHODS

We conducted qualitative interviews and directed-content analysis with a purposive sample of 26 U.S. endocrinologists. Factors affecting clinicians' experiences were mapped to the human-organization-technology fit (HOT-fit) framework.

RESULTS

We found that clinicians' experiences with synchronous telehealth were influenced by: (1) Clinician factors: Clinicians welcomed telehealth but expressed concerns about patient interest, rapport building, and clinical appropriateness, desiring more data to support its use. Many clinicians feared missing clinical findings on virtual examination, despite no such personal experiences. Effects on professional and personal life contributed to satisfaction, through increased flexibility but also increased workload. (2) Organizational factors: Departmental meetings and trainings supported clinicians' technical, logistical, and clinical needs, reducing resistance to telehealth use. Shifting staff responsibilities in clinical workflows improved clinicians' experiences and supported telehealth use, while mixed telehealth and in-person schedules impeded workflow. (3) Technology factors: Most clinicians preferred video visits to telephone. Usability and reliability of telehealth platforms, integration of patient self-monitoring data, and availability of IT support were crucial to a positive experience.

CONCLUSION

Clinician acceptance of telehealth is influenced by clinician, organizational, and technology factors that can be leveraged to improve buy-in. Organizational leaders' attention to addressing these factors will be critical to support endocrinologists' continued provision of telehealth for their patients.

Forensic Psychiatric Outpatients' and Therapists' Perspectives on a Wearable Biocueing App (Sense-IT) as an Addition to Aggression Regulation Therapy: Qualitative Focus Group and Interview Study

BACKGROUND

Given the increased use of smart devices and the advantages of individual behavioral monitoring and assessment over time, wearable sensor-based mobile health apps are expected to become an important part of future (forensic) mental health care. For successful implementation in clinical practice, consideration of barriers and facilitators is of utmost importance.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to provide insight into the perspectives of both psychiatric outpatients and therapists in a forensic setting on the use and implementation of the Sense-IT biocueing app in aggression regulation therapy.

METHODS

A combination of qualitative methods was used. First, we assessed the perspectives of forensic outpatients on the use of the Sense-IT biocueing app using semistructured interviews. Next, 2 focus groups with forensic therapists were conducted to gain a more in-depth understanding of their perspectives on facilitators of and barriers to implementation.

RESULTS

Forensic outpatients (n=21) and therapists (n=15) showed a primarily positive attitude toward the addition of the biocueing intervention to therapy, with increased interoceptive and emotional awareness as the most frequently mentioned advantage in both groups. In the semistructured interviews, patients mainly reported barriers related to technical or innovation problems (ie, connection and notification issues, perceived inaccuracy of the feedback, and limitations in the ability to personalize settings). In the focus groups with therapists, 92 facilitator and barrier codes were identified and categorized into technical or innovation level (n=13, 14%), individual therapist level (n=28, 30%), individual patient level (n=33, 36%), and environmental and organizational level (n=18, 20%). The predominant barriers were limitations in usability of the app, patients' motivation, and both therapists' and patients' knowledge and skills. Integration into treatment, expertise within the therapists' team, and provision of time and materials were identified as facilitators.

CONCLUSIONS

The chances of successful implementation and continued use of sensor-based mobile health interventions such as the Sense-IT biocueing app can be increased by considering the barriers and facilitators from patients' and therapists' perspectives. Technical or innovation-related barriers such as usability issues should be addressed first. At the therapist level, increasing integration into daily routines and enhancing affinity with the intervention are highly recommended for successful implementation. Future research is expected to be focused on further development and personalization of biocueing interventions considering what works for whom at what time in line with the trend toward personalizing treatment interventions in mental health care.

A systematic review of telemedicine systems use barriers: primary health care providers' perspective

Purpose

The purpose of this review paper was identifying barriers to the use of telemedicine systems in primary health-care individual level among professionals.

Design/methodology/approach

This study used Scopus and PubMed databases for scientific records identification. A systematic review of the literature structured by PRISMA guidelines was conducted on 37 included papers published between 2009 and 2019. A qualitative approach was used to synthesize insights into using telemedicine by primary care professionals.

Findings

Three barriers were identified and classified: system quality, data quality and service quality barriers. System complexity in terms of usability, system unreliability, security and privacy concerns, lack of integration and inflexibility of systems-in-use are related to system quality. Data quality barriers are data inaccuracy, data timeliness issues, data conciseness concerns and lack of data uniqueness. Finally, service reliability concerns, lack of technical support and lack of user training have been categorized as service quality barriers.

Originality/value

This review identified and mapped emerging themes of barriers to the use of telemedicine systems. This paper also through a new conceptualization of telemedicine use from perspectives of the primary care professionals contributes to informatics literature and system usage practices.

Patient's Perspective of Telemedicine in Poland-A Two-Year Pandemic Picture

The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic caused the healthcare system to drastically reduce in-person visits and suddenly switch to telemedicine services to provide clinical care to patients. The implementation of teleconsultation in medical facilities was a novelty for most Polish patients. In Poland, the main telehealth services were provided in the form of telephone consultations. The aim of this study is to determine patients' perceptions of telemedicine in the context of their experiences with the healthcare system during the COVID-19 pandemic. In this study, we presented how the evaluation of telemedicine services from the perspective of patients in Poland changed in the context of the ongoing pandemic. We conducted two surveys (year by year) on a representative quota sample of the Polish population (N = 623). This ensured that our observations took into account the evolution of views on telemedicine over time. We confirmed the well-known relationship that innovations introduced in the healthcare sector require a longer period of adaptation. We also identified significant concerns that limit the positive perception of telemedicine and compared them with experiences described in other countries.

Increasing Use of Video Telehealth Among Veterans Experiencing Homelessness with Substance Use Disorder: Design of A Peer-Led Intervention

Telehealth offers promising opportunities, but also challenges, for veterans experiencing homelessness - during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. Recent research found low utilization of clinical video visits among homeless veterans receiving a VA tablet, and having a substance use disorder (SUD) further reduced visit likelihood. Hence, this study sought to identify unique barriers to telehealth use among veterans experiencing homelessness with a SUD and design an intervention to promote adoption. This qualitative study was guided by the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) model. The study's three phases included veteran interviews (N = 28) to identify barriers and facilitators to video telehealth use and propose intervention candidates, a provider expert panel to obtain feedback on interventions, and a focus group with veterans to complete the intervention. Finally, a prototype was designed using the intervention mapping approach. Veteran interviews revealed that barriers to video telehealth included complex physical and mental health issues, lack of digital literacy, and insufficient technical support. Together, veterans and experts proposed five intervention candidates. In the end, a veteran focus group combined two candidates, peer-led digital training and motivational interviewing. Intervention mapping was used to design a "stepped care" intervention that trains and activates veterans at all skill levels. This study demonstrates how inclusion of expert and veteran views led to development of a novel intervention to support and sustain video telehealth use among veterans experiencing homeless with SUD.

Designing a Hearing Health Care Smartphone App With Ecological Momentary Assessment: A Qualitative Study of Audiologists' Perspectives

Purpose:

The purpose of this study was to explore the perspectives of audiologists to provide input into development of a smartphone application (app) to document the real-life listening difficulties and the listening environment of hearing aid candidates and users.

Method:

Two focus groups were conducted. Facilitators utilized a topic guide to generate participants' input and perspectives. The focus groups were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. The transcripts were then qualitatively analyzed using content analysis.

Study Sample:

The study samples were 10 audiologists (seven females) with 2- to 10-plus years of hearing aid fitting experience.

Results:

Three main categories were identified: (a) The mobile device app could provide meaningful information to help audiologists to counsel their clients, (b) the app could give clients an insight into their hearing difficulties, and (c) the app could help clients to self-manage their hearing condition.

Conclusion:

These findings suggest that audiologists may better understand their clients' real-life listening difficulties through the use of a mobile device app; however, further research is required to harness the benefits of such an app.

Perceptions and Use of Telehealth Among Mental Health, Primary, and Specialty Care Clinicians During the COVID-19 Pandemic

IMPORTANCE

Clinician attitudes toward telehealth may impact utilization rates, and findings may differ based on specialty.

OBJECTIVE

To determine whether clinician beliefs regarding telehealth quality and ease of use were associated with the proportion of care delivered via video, phone, and in-person across specialties.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS

This survey study used a voluntary, anonymous survey conducted from August to September 2021 in the Department of Veterans Affairs New England Healthcare System (VANEHS). Mental health (MH), primary care (PC), and specialty care (SC) clinicians were invited to participate. Data were analyzed from October 2021 to January 2022.

EXPOSURES

Participation in a 32-item survey.

MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES

The main outcomes were clinicians' views on relative quality of video, phone, and in-person care; factors contributing to clinicians' modality choice; telehealth challenges; and clinician modality preferences and utilization when treating new and established patients.

RESULTS

There were 866 survey respondents (estimated 64% response rate); 52 respondents reported no video or phone telehealth use in the 3 months prior to survey completion and were excluded, resulting in a final sample of 814 respondents. Respondents were divided among MH (403 respondents [49.5%]), PC (153 respondents [18.8%]), and SC (258 respondents [31.7%]). Compared with PC and SC clinicians, MH clinicians rated the quality of video care the highest (eg, compared with in-person care with masks when treating new patients: χ2 = 147.8; P < .001) and were more likely to prefer video over phone when treating both new (χ2 = 26.6; P < .001) and established (χ2 = 100.4; P < .001) patients remotely. PC and SC clinicians were more likely to rate phone care as being at least equivalent in quality to video for both new (χ2 = 26.3; P < .001) and established (χ2 = 33.5; P < .001) patients. PC and SC clinicians were also more likely to endorse challenges of video care, including patient barriers and the inability to conduct a physical examination (χ2 = 292.0; P < .001). Most PC and SC clinicians either had no preference (46 PC respondents [36.2%]; 59 SC respondents [28.4%]) or preferred phone (36 PC respondents [28.3%]; 67 SC respondents [32.2%]) for remote care of established patients. Findings aligned with utilization rates within VANEHS, with MH clinicians conducting significantly more of their encounters via video (36 734 encounters [40.3%]) than PC (3201 encounters [3.9%]) and SC (1157 encounters [4.9%]) clinicians.

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE

These findings suggest that clinician attitudes regarding telehealth quality and ease of use were associated with utilization rates. Moving forward, clinician use of telehealth may be impacted by additional data regarding the relative effectiveness of modalities as well as improvements in video telehealth workflows.

Provider Perspectives on Telemental Health Usage After COVID-19: A Retrospective Analysis (Preprint)

Background

Mental health care pivoted to telemedicine during the COVID-19 pandemic, and there is uncertainty around the sustainability of this rapid shift.

Objective

This study examined how intentions to continue using telemedicine after the COVID-19 pandemic are influenced by provider perceptions of usefulness, ease of use, and professional social influence, facilitating organizational conditions.

Methods

We conducted a web-based, cross-sectional survey of 369 telemental health providers between February and March 2021. A hierarchical linear regression analysis was conducted to predict intentions to continue using telemedicine after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Results

Most providers began using telemedicine in March 2020 or later (257/369, 69.6%) and attended to ≥50% of their clients via telemedicine (299/369, 81.0%). Intention to continue using telemedicine after the COVID-19 pandemic was predicted by the telemedicine caseload (β=.10; P=.005), perceived usefulness in general (β=.10; P=.008), ease of use (β=.08; P=.04), social influence (β=.68; P<.001), and facilitating conditions (β=.08; P=.047).

Conclusions

Exploration of the predictors of telemedicine usage beyond the COVID-19 pandemic aids in surveillance of telemedicine usage, integration with future clinic workflows, and the shaping of public policy. It is important to consider telemedicine services as not only a response to a crisis but also an effective and useful solution for everyday life. Our results suggest widespread, sustainable telemedicine adoption.

COVID-19 Pandemic Influence on Medical Oncology Provider Perceptions of Telehealth Video Visits

PURPOSE

The COVID-19 pandemic necessitated a rapid expansion of telehealth use in oncology, a specialty in which prior utilization was low in part because of barriers perceived by providers. Understanding the changing perceptions of medical oncology providers during the pandemic is critical for continued expansion and improvement of telehealth in cancer care. This study was designed to identify medical oncology providers' perceptions of telehealth video visits as influenced by the COVID-19 pandemic.

METHODS

We conducted semi-structured interviews with medical oncology providers from November 20, 2020, to January 27, 2021, at the Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center at Thomas Jefferson University, a National Cancer Institute-designated cancer center in an urban, academic health system in Philadelphia, PA. We assessed provider perceptions of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on (1) provider-level comfort and willingness for telehealth, (2) provider-perceived patient comfort and willingness to engage in telehealth, and (3) continued barriers to successful telehealth use.

RESULTS

Volunteer and convenience sampling resulted in the participation of 25 medical oncology providers, including 18 physicians and seven advanced practice providers, in semi-structured interviews. Of the 25 participants, 13 (52%) were female and 19 (76%) were White, with an average age of 48.5 years (standard deviation = 12.6). Respondents largely stated an increased comfort level and willingness for use of video visits. In addition, respondents perceived a positive change in patient comfort and willingness, mostly driven by convenience, accessibility, and reduced risk of COVID-19 exposure. However, several reported technologic issues and limited physical examination capability as remaining barriers to telehealth adoption.

CONCLUSION

The rapid adoption of telehealth necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic has increased provider-level and provider-perceived patient comfort and willingness to engage in video visits for cancer care. As both providers and patients increasingly accept telehealth across many use cases, future work should focus on further addressing technology and physical examination barriers and ensuring continued reimbursement for telehealth as a routine part of covered care.

Telemedicine Use and Satisfaction Among Radiation Oncologists During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Evaluation of Current Trends and Future Opportunities

Purpose

During the COVID-19 pandemic, telemedicine became an attractive alternative to in-person appointments. The role of telemedicine in patients who undergo frequent on-site treatment, such as radiation therapy, is unclear. The purpose of this study was to examine telemedicine use, physician satisfaction, and barriers to continued use in radiation oncology.

Methods and Materials

An anonymous, electronic survey was distributed to radiation oncologists internationally between June and October 2020. Respondents described demographic and practice characteristics, and a 5-point Likert scale assessed provider satisfaction, ease of use, and overall utility of telemedicine. Analyses include descriptive statistics and subgroup comparisons using the χ² test and Fisher's exact test.

Results

The response rate was 4.3%. Two hundred thirty-two respondents completed the survey, 63.8% of whom were male, 52.6% aged 50 or younger, and 78.0% from the United States. Only 14.2% used telemedicine previously, which increased to 93.1% during COVID-19. Among all telemedicine users, usage rates were 77.9% for initial consultations, 97.2% for follow-up visits, and 35.9% for on-treatment visits. Of the respondents, 69.8% reported that <25% of patients requiring treatment experienced delays due to COVID-19. Most conducted appointments from the workplace, with 40.1% also doing so from home. Satisfaction was high at 73.8%, perceived usefulness was 76.9%, and 81.5% hope to continue using telemedicine after the pandemic. However, 82.4% had concerns with the inability to examine patients and 63.0% had concerns about poor patient access to the required technology. In addition, 49.5% had concerns regarding continued billing/reimbursement, less commonly at government centers (18.8%) compared with academic/satellite facilities (52.7%) and free-standing centers/community hospitals (50.7%, P = .039 for both comparisons). These concerns were also significantly higher among US physicians (53.2% vs 34.9%, P = .048).

Conclusions

Widespread adoption of telemedicine by radiation oncologists occurred during COVID-19 with high rates of satisfaction and interest in continued use. Sustained reimbursement for telemedicine services is a significant concern, particularly in the United States and outside of government facilities.

OUP accepted manuscript

Objective

Recent technological development along with the constraints imposed by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic have led to increased availability of patient-generated health data. However, it is not well understood how to effectively integrate this new technology into large health systems. This article seeks to identify interventions to increase utilization of electronic blood glucose monitoring for patients with diabetes.

Materials and Methods

A large randomized controlled trial tested the impact of multiple interventions to promote use of electronic blood glucose tracking. The total study sample consisted of 7052 patients with diabetes across 68 providers at 20 selected primary care offices. The design included 2 stages: First, primary care practices were randomly assigned to have their providers receive education regarding blood glucose flowsheet orders. Then, patients in the treated practices were assigned to 1 of 4 reminder interventions.

Results

Provider education successfully increased provider take-up of an online blood glucose monitoring tool by 64 percentage points, while a comparison of reminder interventions revealed that emphasizing accountability to the provider encouraged patients to track their blood glucose online. An assessment of downstream outcomes revealed impacts of the interventions on prescribing behavior and A1c testing frequency.

Discussion

It is important to understand how health systems can practically promote take-up and awareness of emerging digital health alternatives or those with persistently low utilization in clinical settings.

Conclusion

These results indicate that provider training and support are critical first steps to promote utilization of patient-generated health data, and that patient communications can provide further motivation.

Integrating technology in mental healthcare practice: A repeated cross-sectional survey study on professionals' adoption of Digital Mental Health before and during COVID-19

As a consequence of the outbreak of the COVID-19 global pandemic in the spring of 2020, large-scale social distancing measures were implemented, resulting in the forced adoption of online or digital forms of psychological treatment. This sudden transition to digital care offered a unique opportunity to investigate if and how this experience impacted mental healthcare professionals' perceptions and use of Digital Mental Health tools. The current paper presents findings of a repeated cross-sectional study consisting of three iterations of a national online survey in the Netherlands. This survey contained open and closed questions on professionals' adoption readiness, frequency of use, perceived competency, and perceived value of Digital Mental Health collected in 2019 (before the pandemic), in 2020 (after the first wave), and in 2021 (after the second wave). The inclusion of data gathered prior to the COVID-19 pandemic offers a unique window to assess how professionals' adoption has developed through this transition from voluntary to mandatory use of Digital Mental Health tools. Our study also re-assesses the drivers, barriers, and needs of mental healthcare professionals after having gained experience with Digital Mental Health. In total, 1,039 practitioners completed the surveys (Survey 1: n = 432, Survey 2: n = 363, and Survey 3: n = 244). Results indicate that compared to the period before the pandemic, there was a particularly large increase in use, competency, and perceived value regarding videoconferencing. Small differences were also found for some other basic tools that were crucial to ensure the continuation of care, such as e-mail, text messaging, and online screening, but not for more innovative technologies, such as virtual reality and biofeedback. Many practitioners reported to have gained skills regarding Digital Mental Health and experienced several benefits of it. They expressed the intention to continue with a blended approach, using Digital Mental Health tools in combination with face-to-face care, focused on situations in which they found it to have specific added value, such as when clients are unable to travel. Others were less satisfied with the technology-mediated interactions and remained more reluctant to future use of DMH. Implications for broader implementation of Digital Mental Health and future research are discussed.

Training and education in digital psychiatry: A perspective from Asia-Pacific region

BACKGROUND

Digital mental health interventions and digital psychiatry have been rapidly implemented over the past decade, particularly with the intent to offer a cost-effective solution in those circumstances in which the current mental health services and infrastructure are not able to properly accommodate the patients' needs. However, mental health workforce is often poorly theoretical/practical trained in digital psychiatry and in delivering remote consultations safely and effectively, not being common to own curricula-specific training requirements in digital psychiatry and skills.

METHODS

A web-based international cross-sectional survey was carried out by a working group constituted by one or two national representative(s) of each WHO South-East Asia and Western Pacific Regions (APAC), with the aim to evaluate the level of training, knowledge, experience, and perception regarding the topic of digital psychiatry in a sample constituted by medical students, psychiatry trainees, and early career psychiatrists from APAC.

RESULTS

An overall lack of theoretical and/or practical training on new digital tools and digital health interventions in psychiatry was observed. The level of training influences knowledge background, which, in turns, influences young professionals' perceptions and opinions regarding digital psychiatry and interventions in mental health.

CONCLUSION

Implementing psychiatry training programs may significantly improve the level of knowledge and use of digital tools in mental healthcare. Moreover, mental health services and infrastructures should be properly adapted to the digital era, considering the overall weak and heterogeneous technical support and equipment, issues of internet connectivity, and other administrative-related challenges observed in APAC.

Physiotherapists' perspective of telehealth during the Covid-19 pandemic

Background

The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in a rapid and expansive roll out of telehealth applications as a mode of intervention delivery. The effectiveness of this model of care is currently unclear.

Objective

A cross-sectional observational study evaluating the Irish physiotherapist’s experience of telehealth.

Method

Irish Physiotherapists completed an online survey, distributed by the Irish Society of Chartered Physiotherapists (ISCP), exploring considerations and barriers to commencing telehealth, advantages and disadvantages to telehealth, overall experience of telehealth, and their opinion on the future of telehealth. A descriptive approach and conceptual content analysis were used to analysis the data to derive determinants for the continuation of telehealth.

Results

In total, 205 physiotherapists completed the survey. Seventy-eight per cent were female. Participant's mean age range was 36 to 45 years with 17 years of physiotherapy experience. Eighty-three per cent had no experience with telehealth pre COVID-19. Considerations to commencing telehealth included service user's suitability, adequate technical and organisational resources, physiotherapist's professional conduct, physiotherapist's skills and COVID-19 restrictions. No outstanding barrier to telehealth was identified. Respondents identify that telehealth offered a reduction in travel time for the service user (82%), offer flexibility in the delivery of physiotherapy (81%) and avoid contact with a potential COVID-19 spreader (92%). The limited scope of the physical examination (86%) via telehealth is the significant disadvantage. Telehealth is considered a temporary stop-gap during the COVID-19 pandemic by forty per cent of physiotherapists while sixty per cent consider telehealth as a sustainable alternative mode of health care delivery.

Conclusion

At present, health care providers have not universally accepted telehealth as a mode of health care delivery. Our study’s findings identify key areas to address to encourage acceptance.

The Use of Telemedicine in Nursing Homes: A Mixed-Method Study to Identify Critical Factors When Connecting with a General Hospital

Evaluating the use and impact of telemedicine in nursing homes is necessary to promote improvements in the quality of this practice. Even though challenges and opportunities of telemedicine are increasingly becoming well documented for geriatrics (such as improving access to healthcare, patient management, and education while reducing costs), there is still limited knowledge on how to better implement it in an inter-organizational context, especially when considering nursing homes. In this regard, this study aimed first to describe the telemedicine activity of nursing homes when cooperating with a general hospital; and then understand the behavioral differences amongst nursing homes while identifying critical factors when implementing a telemedicine project. We conducted a sequential, explanatory mixed-method study using quantitative then qualitative methods to better understand the results. Three years of teleconsultation data of twenty-six nursing homes (15 rural and 11 urban) conducting teleconsultations with a general hospital (Troyes Hospital, France) were included for the quantitative analysis, and eleven telemedicine project managers for the qualitative analysis. Between April 2018 and April 2021, 590 teleconsultations were conducted: 45% (n = 265) were conducted for general practice, 29% (n = 172) for wound care, 11% (n = 62) for diabetes management, 8% (n = 47) with gerontologist and 6% (n = 38) for dermatology. Rural nursing homes conducted more teleconsultations overall than urban ones (RR: 2.484; 95% CI: 1.083 to 5.518; p = 0.03) and included more teleconsultations for general practice (RR: 16.305; 95% CI: 3.505 to 73.523; p = 0.001). Our qualitative study showed that three critical factors are required for the implementation of a telemedicine project in nursing homes: (1) the motivation to perform teleconsultations (in other words, improving access to care and cooperation between professionals); (2) building a relevant telemedicine medical offer based on patients' and treating physicians' needs; and (3) it's specific organization in terms of time and space. Our study showed different uses of teleconsultations according to the rural or urban localization of nursing homes and that telemedicine projects should be designed to consider this aspect. Triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic, telemedicine projects in nursing homes are increasing, and observing the three critical factors presented above could be necessary to limit the failure of such projects.

Building a telepalliative care strategy in nursing homes: a qualitative study with mobile palliative care teams

BACKGROUND

Despite increasing use of telemedicine in the field of palliative care, studies about the best circumstances and processes where it could replace face-to-face interaction are lacking. This study aimed to: (1) identify situations that are most amenable to the use of telemedicine for the provision of palliative care to patients in nursing homes; and (2) understand how telemedicine could best be integrated into the routine practice of mobile palliative care teams.

METHODS

A qualitative study based on semi-structured focus groups (n = 7) with professionals (n = 33) working in mobile palliative care teams in France.

RESULTS

Between June and July 2019, 7 mobile palliative care teams participated in one focus group each. Using thematic analysis, we found that telemedicine use in palliative care is about navigating between usual and new practices. Several influencing factors also emerged, which influence the use of telemedicine for palliative care, depending on the situation. Finally, we built a use-case model of palliative care to help mobile palliative care teams identify circumstances where telemedicine could be useful, or not.

CONCLUSIONS

The potential utility of telemedicine for delivering palliative care in nursing homes largely depends on the motive for calling on the mobile palliative care team. Requests regarding symptoms may be particularly amenable to telemedicine, whereas psycho-social distress may not. Further studies are warranted to assess the impact of influencing factors on real-life palliative care practices. Telemedicine could nonetheless be a useful addition to the mobile palliative care teams' armamentarium.

Evaluating Technology-Mediated Collaborative Workflows for Telehealth

GOALS

This paper discusses the need for a predictable method to evaluate gains and gaps of collaborative technology-mediated workflows and introduces an evaluation framework to address this need.

METHODS

The Collaborative Space Analysis Framework (CS-AF), introduced in this research, is a cross-disciplinary evaluation method designed to evaluate technology-mediated collaborative workflows. The 5-step CS-AF approach includes: (1) current-state workflow definition, (2) current-state (baseline) workflow assessment, (3) technology-mediated workflow development and deployment, (4) technology-mediated workflow assessment, (5) analysis, and conclusions. For this research, a comprehensive, empirical study of hypertension exam workflow for telehealth was conducted using the CS-AF approach.

RESULTS

The CS-AF systemized approach reveals critical cross-disciplinary evaluation data concerning gains and gaps of collaborative workflows when technology-mediated enhancements are characterized and compared with a baseline workflow for the goal of continuous workflow improvement.

CONCLUSION

The CS-AF is an effective approach that can be adapted for use in multiple domains.

Assessing Professionals' Adoption Readiness for eMental Health: Development and Validation of the eMental Health Adoption Readiness Scale

BACKGROUND

The last few decades have witnessed significant advances in the development of digital tools and applications for mental health care. Despite growing evidence for their effectiveness, acceptance and use of these tools in clinical practice remain low. Hence, a validated and easy-to-use instrument for assessing professionals' readiness to adopt eMental health (EMH) is necessary to gain further insights into the process of EMH adoption and facilitate future research on this topic.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study is to develop and validate an instrument for assessing mental health care professionals' readiness to adopt EMH.

METHODS

Item generation was guided by literature and inputs from mental health care professionals and experts in survey development. Exploratory factor analyses were conducted on an initial set of 29 items completed by a sample of mental health care professionals (N=432); thereafter, the scale was reduced to 15 items in an iterative process. The factor structure thus obtained was subsequently tested using a confirmatory factor analysis with a second sample of mental health care professionals (N=363). The internal consistency, convergent validity, and predictive validity of the eMental Health Adoption Readiness (eMHAR) Scale were assessed.

RESULTS

Exploratory factor analysis resulted in a 3-factor solution with 15 items. The factors were analyzed and labeled as perceived benefits and applicability of EMH, EMH proactive innovation, and EMH self-efficacy. These factors were confirmed through a confirmatory factor analysis. The total scale and subscales showed a good internal consistency (Cronbach α=.73-.88) along with acceptable convergent and predictive relationships with related constructs.

CONCLUSIONS

The constructed eMHAR Scale showed a conceptually interpretable 3-factor structure having satisfactory characteristics and relationships with relevant concepts. Its ease of use allows for quick acquisition of data that can contribute to understanding and facilitating the process of adoption of EMH by clinical professionals.

The Impact of COVID-19 on Provider Perceptions of Telemental Health

The present study was designed to assess mental health provider attitudes and perceptions of telemental health (TMH) prior to and during the COVID-19 Pandemic, as well as the nature of their TMH utilization. The study aimed to gather information about positive and negative attitudes towards TMH, perceptions and correlates based on the modality of care, and beliefs about the overall effectiveness of TMH as compared to face-to-face care. The current study is part of a larger mixed methods project utilizing a repeated cross-sectional design. An online survey was administered to a sample of 1448 mental health providers and included demographic and professional information, experiences with and perceptions of TMH prior to and during the COVID-19 Pandemic, as well as a brief measure of pandemic-related stress. The COVID-19 Pandemic resulted in an increased use of TMH in the study sample. During COVID-19, providers reported increased agreement with TMH being necessary, important, and effective for care delivery. Providers who primarily used video, compared with telephone, reported that TMH was more useful, satisfying, and effective. While negative attitude towards TMH was predicted only by prior attitudes and belief in TMH effectiveness, positive attitude towards TMH was also predicted by female sex and current level of pandemic related stress. TMH use during the pandemic was predicted by primary use of video platform and previous TMH use. The 2020 COVID-19 Pandemic resulted in increased use of TMH and significantly increased positive perceptions about TMH among mental health providers.

Psychiatrist and Psychologist Experiences with Telehealth and Remote Collaborative Care in Primary Care: A Qualitative Study

PURPOSE

Availability of mental health services is limited in the rural United States. Two promising models to reach patients with limited access to care are telehealth referral and collaborative care. The objective of this study was to assess telepsychiatrist- and telepsychologist-level facilitators and barriers to satisfaction with and implementation of these 2 telehealth models in rural settings.

METHODS

Focus groups were held in 2019 using a semistructured interview guide. Participants were off-site telepsychiatrists (N = 10) and telepsychologists (N = 4) for primary care clinics across 3 states (Washington, Michigan, and Arkansas) involved in a recent pragmatic comparative effectiveness trial. Qualitative analysis occurred inductively by 2 independent coders.

FINDINGS

Participants were satisfied with the models partly owing to good patient rapport and expanding access to care. Teamwork was highlighted as a facilitator in collaborative care and was often related to work with care managers. However, participants described communication with primary care providers as a challenge, especially in the telehealth referral arm. Barriers centered on variability of logistical processes (eg, symptom monitoring, scheduling, electronic medical record processes, and credentialing) among sites. Staff turnover, variable clinic investment, and inadequacy of training were possible explanations for these barriers.

CONCLUSIONS

Participants described high motivation to provide team-based, remote care for patients, though they experienced operational challenges. Centralized credentialing, scheduling, and record keeping are possible solutions. These findings are important because consulting psychiatrists and psychologists may play a leadership role in the dissemination of these models.

Home telemonitoring for chronic disease management: Perceptions of users and factors influencing adoption

Home telemonitoring has been used as a solution to support the care of individuals living with chronic disease. While effectiveness of telemonitoring have been widely studied, more research is needed to understand the perceptions among patients and clinicians in incorporating telemonitoring into their daily routine and practices. This paper presents an investigation of patients' and clinicians' experiences in a care augmenting telemonitoring service, their perceived impact delivered through the service, and clinicians' perceptions on how the service was introduced in their organizations. This work was embedded in a large multi-site trial of home telemonitoring using a mixed method approach for evaluation. Interviews with clinicians involved in the study were conducted at multiple time points during the trial. Questionnaires were administered to clinicians and patients at the end of the trial. Results showed that both patients and clinicians recognized the benefits of patient empowerment through telemonitoring, and patient-clinician interactions. Results identified the needs of a dedicated telemonitoring clinical care coordinator role, guidelines that translate telemonitoring services into clinical pathways and engagement of different healthcare providers, especially general practitioners, to support the integration of telemonitoring into chronic disease management programs and long-term organizational strategic plans.

Provider Perceptions of Virtual Care During the Coronavirus Disease 2019 Pandemic: A Multispecialty Survey Study

BACKGROUND

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has led to a dramatic increase in virtual care (VC) across outpatient specialties, but little is known regarding provider acceptance of VC.

OBJECTIVE

The objective of this study was to assess provider perceptions of the quality, efficiency, and challenges of VC versus in-person care with masks.

DESIGN

This was a voluntary survey.

PARTICIPANTS

Mental health (MH), primary care, medical specialty, and surgical specialty providers across the 8 VA New England Healthcare System medical centers.

MEASURES

Provider ratings of: (1) quality and efficiency of VC (phone and video telehealth) compared with in-person care with masks; (2) challenges of VC; and (3) percentage of patients that providers are comfortable seeing via VC in the future.

RESULTS

The sample included 998 respondents (49.8% MH, 20.6% primary care, 20.4% medical specialty, 9.1% surgical specialty; 61% response rate). Most providers rated VC as equivalent to or higher in quality and efficiency compared with in-person care with masks. Quality ratings were significantly higher for video versus phone (χ2=61.4, P<0.0001), but efficiency ratings did not differ significantly. Ratings varied across specialties (highest in MH, lowest in SS; all χ2s>24.1, Ps<0.001). Inability to conduct a physical examination and patient technical difficulties were significant challenges. MH providers were comfortable seeing a larger proportion of patients virtually compared with the other specialties (all χ2s>12.2, Ps<0.01).

CONCLUSIONS

Broad provider support for VC was stratified across specialties, with the highest ratings in MH and lowest ratings in SS. Findings will inform the improvement of VC processes and the planning of health care delivery during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.

Increasing Use of Ambulatory Video Visits for Pediatric Patients by Using Quality Improvement Methods

Supplemental Digital Content is available in the text.

Introduction:

Live video visits for ambulatory encounters offer potential benefits, including access to remote subspecialty services, care coordination between providers, and improved convenience for patients. We aimed to increase the utilization of video visits for pediatric patients at our medical center using an iterative quality improvement process.

Methods:

A multispecialty improvement team identified opportunities to increase video visit utilization and prioritized interventions using benefit-effort analyses. Interventions focused on 6 key drivers. The outcome measure was the percentage of ambulatory encounters conducted by video. The process measure was the percentage of ambulatory pediatricians conducting video visits. The balancing measure was the percentage of no-shows among scheduled video visits. All measures were analyzed using statistical process control.

Results:

Interventions were associated with increases in our outcome and process measures from 0.1% to 1.2% and 0.6% to 6.3%, respectively, during the first 8 months. Subsequently, the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic was associated with further increases in these measures to 41.8% and 73.5%, respectively, over 3 months. The balancing measure increased from 0% at baseline to 14.7% with no special cause variation during the intervention period. The most impactful interventions included clinician training outreach, providing equipment, and streamlining MyChart patient enrollment.

Conclusions:

This improvement project effectively increased pediatric ambulatory video visit utilization, although the most significant driver of utilization was the COVID-19 pandemic. Project interventions implemented before COVID-19 facilitated rapid video visit adoption during the pandemic. A similar improvement process may be beneficial for other medical centers aiming to improve video visit utilization.

Client, clinician, and administrator factors associated with the successful acceptance of a telehealth comprehensive recovery service: A mixed methods study

The coronavirus disease 2019 SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) crisis and subsequent social distancing recommendations resulted in increased use of telehealth within recovery-oriented behavioral health services (RS). Populations with serious mental illness (SMI) rely on psychosocial treatment, care coordination, and pharmacotherapy to achieve recovery goals and increase community engagement. This program evaluation of a group-based RS used mixed methods to better understand the multiple factors that contributed to successful telehealth conversion. Clients' service utilization over an 18-week period was collected to determine acceptance and the client characteristics associated with utilization (n = 72). Clients completed a treatment satisfaction questionnaire that was distributed ten weeks following telehealth conversion. Qualitative interviews explored staff perspectives on factors that impacted conversion, acceptance, and utilization. Initial staff skepticism gave way to acceptance, while the demands of resourcefulness, flexibility, and competency were emphasized. Clients' treatment utilization remained stable, while the number of missed/cancelled sessions were less frequent over time, especially for clients with a history of psychosis. Clients reported high overall satisfaction, but a preference for in-person treatment. Within this clinic serving middle to high socioeconomic status (SES) clients, clinicians and clients alike found the virtual group-based RS to be feasible and acceptable while in-person treatment was not an option.

Mental Health Care Providers' Attitudes Toward Telepsychiatry: A Systemwide, Multisite Survey During the COVID-19 Pandemic

OBJECTIVES

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced a rapid transition to telepsychiatry. This study examined the experience and attitudes of mental health care providers toward telehealth.

METHODS

At 18 centers across the United States, 819 mental health care providers completed an electronic survey about telepsychiatry use and satisfaction.

RESULTS

Overall, 73% of providers using videoconferencing and 66% using the telephone rated their experience as excellent or good. Flexible scheduling or rescheduling (77%) and timely start (69%) were frequently reported advantages for both modalities. Challenges were related to patients' inability to use conferencing devices (52%), lack of sense of closeness or connection (46%), and technical problems (39%). After the pandemic resolves, 64% of respondents would want to continue using telepsychiatry in at least 25% of their caseload.

CONCLUSIONS

Telepsychiatry was very well perceived among mental health care providers, and many would like to continue using it. Access to technology and training raises concerns.

The impact of COVID-19 on provision of UK audiology services & on attitudes towards delivery of telehealth services

OBJECTIVE

To (i) identify the impact of COVID-19 on provision of UK audiology services across sectors (ii) compare teleaudiology service provision between private and public sectors before and after the introduction of restrictions and (iii) identify barriers to teleaudiology delivery amongst UK hearing care professionals in both sectors.

DESIGN

A mixed-methods cross-sectional survey study design. Responses to the structured questionnaire were analysed using descriptive and non-parametric statistics.

STUDY SAMPLE

UK based hearing care professionals (HCP) (n = 323) completed the survey (218 public sector; 89 private sector).

RESULTS

Changes in working patterns varied greatly between different sectors, with 61% of national employed and 26% of independent HCPs being furloughed, compared with 1% in the public sector. Use of telehealth was under-utilised across all sectors and groups in UK hearing healthcare, despite 92% of public and 75% of private HCPs reporting feeling comfortable conducting remote consultations.

CONCLUSION

This study highlights a variation in teleaudiology adoption and key barriers across sector in the UK. A collaborative approach between hearing device manufacturers, research centres, HCPs and professional bodies is required for the creation of targeted guidance and training materials according to sector, to support clinicians in effective teleaudiology provision.

Provision of Care by "Real World" Telemental Health Providers

Despite its effectiveness, limited research has examined the provision of telemental health (TMH) and how practices may vary according to treatment paradigm. We surveyed 276 community mental health providers registered with a commercial telemedicine platform. Most providers reported primarily offering TMH services to adults with anxiety, depression, and trauma-and stressor-related disorders in individual therapy formats. Approximately 82% of TMH providers reported endorsing the use of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) in their remote practice. The most commonly used in-session and between-session (i.e., homework) exercises included coping and emotion regulation, problem solving, mindfulness, interpersonal skills, relaxation, and modifying and addressing core beliefs. CBT TMH providers had a higher odds of using in-session and homework exercises and assigning them through postal mail, email or fax methods, as compared to non-CBT TMH providers. TMH providers, regardless of treatment paradigm, felt that assigning homework was neither easy nor difficult and they believed their patients were somewhat-to-moderately compliant to their assigned exercises. CBT TMH providers also collected clinical information from their patients more often than non-CBT TMH providers. They reported being less satisfied with their method, which was identified most often as paper-based surveys and forms. Overall, TMH providers employ evidence-based treatments to their patients remotely, with CBT TMH providers most likely to do so. Findings highlight the need for innovative solutions to improve how TMH providers that endorse following the CBT treatment paradigm remotely assign homework and collect clinical data to increase their satisfaction via telemedicine.

Attitudes and Perceptions of Telemedicine in Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Survey of Naïve Healthcare Providers

Introduction: Expansion of telemedicine enabled healthcare access during the COVID-19 pandemic. In response to in-person visit restrictions, our institution trained >1,000 clinicians in telemedicine. Little is known about telemedicine-naïve pediatric healthcare provider's perceptions as they adopted telemedicine practice. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional survey of clinicians after expanding telemedicine practice at an independent children's hospital. The survey assessed experience with, concerns about, and intentions to continue telemedicine. Outpatient providers were included if they were first trained for telemedicine in response to COVID-19 and conducted at least one video visit, 3/21/2020-6/30/2020. Descriptive statistics were calculated; perceptions were compared across telemedicine activity level quartiles (based on proportions of visits delivered by video in June 2020) using Fisher's exact tests. Results: Of 609 survey responses, 305 (50.1%) met inclusion criteria, representing various roles and disciplines. Over half (54.1%) conducted >20 video visits 3/21/2020-6/30/2020. More than 75% of providers found telemedicine easy to learn. Providers with greater proportions of video visits in a typical week in June reported greater ease of incorporating telemedicine into clinical practice and greater intention to continue telemedicine practice in 6 months. Nearly all providers endorsed concerns. Patient care experiences reinforced technology-related concerns and alleviated liability and privacy concerns. Payer reimbursement was the leading influencer of anticipated future use of telemedicine. Discussion: Providers who conducted more telemedicine encounters reported greater ease of incorporating telemedicine into practice. Provider concerns were influenced by patient care experiences. Targeted training and quality improvement strategies are needed to sustain a robust post-pandemic telemedicine program.

A qualitative study of patients' and providers' experiences with the use of videoconferences by older adults with depression

The aim of this study was to investigate the experiences of patients and providers regarding the use of videoconferences in older patients with depression. The qualitative study consisted of semi-structured interviews with patients and providers and focus group interviews with providers. Themes were identified through using thematic analysis. Three main themes were as follows: 1. Technical Challenges experienced by patients and providers experiences; 2. Videoconferencing as clinical supportive technology; and 3. Therapeutic relationship across face-to-face and videoconferencing formats. Several subthemes describing patients' and providers' experiences were identified. Taken together, there was a similarity between expectations, opinions, and attitudes in relation to experiences vertically across all main themes, and horizontally between the main themes. An optimistic outlook influenced user expectations, opinions, and attitudes and acted to mitigate an negative sentiment about technical challenges. This increased the adoption of videoconferencing as a tool for clinical support and enabled the development of a therapeutic relationship using videoconferencing, especially for provider users. Both patients and providers agreed that videoconferences could not replace all face-to-face conversations and that videoconferences, in most cases, were best suited for shorter follow-up consultations. Expectations, opinions, and attitudes, whether negative or positive, seemed to have significant impact on the experiences of patients and especially providers.

Medical Oncology Professionals' Perceptions of Telehealth Video Visits

IMPORTANCE

Telehealth has emerged as a means of improving access and reducing cost for medical oncology care; however, use by specialists prior to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic still remained low. Medical oncology professionals' perceptions of telehealth for cancer care are largely unknown, but are critical to telehealth utilization and expansion efforts.

OBJECTIVE

To identify medical oncology health professionals' perceptions of the barriers to and benefits of telehealth video visits.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS

This qualitative study used interviews conducted from October 30, 2019, to March 5, 2020, of medical oncology health professionals at the Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, an urban academic health system in the US with a cancer center. All medical oncology physicians, physicians assistants, and nurse practitioners at the hospital were eligible to participate. A combination of volunteer and convenience sampling was used, resulting in the participation of 29 medical oncology health professionals, including 20 physicians and 9 advanced practice professionals, in semistructured interviews.

MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES

Medical oncology health professionals' perceptions of barriers to and benefits of telehealth video visits as experienced by patients receiving cancer treatment.

RESULTS

Of the 29 participants, 15 (52%) were women and 22 (76%) were White, with a mean (SD) age of 48.5 (12.0) years. Respondents' perceptions were organized using the 4 domains of the National Quality Forum framework: clinical effectiveness, patient experience, access to care, and financial impact. Respondents disagreed on the clinical effectiveness and potential limitations of the virtual physical examination, as well as on the financial impact on patients. Respondents also largely recognized the convenience and improved access to care enabled by telehealth for patients. However, many reported concern regarding the health professional-patient relationship and their limited ability to comfort patients in a virtual setting.

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE

Medical oncology health professionals shared conflicting opinions regarding the barriers to and benefits of telehealth in regard to clinical effectiveness, patient experience, access to care, and financial impact. Understanding oncologists' perceptions of telehealth elucidates potential barriers that need to be further investigated or improved for telehealth expansion and continued utilization; further research is ongoing to assess current perceptions of health professionals and patients given the rapid expansion of telehealth during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Characterizing Family Physicians Who Refer to Telepsychiatry in Ontario

INTRODUCTION

Telepsychiatry can improve access to psychiatric services for those who otherwise cannot easily access care. Family physicians are gatekeepers to specialized care in Ontario, so it is essential to understand predictors relating to referrals to telepsychiatry to better plan services and increase telepsychiatry adoption.

METHODS

This study used an annual retrospective cross-sectional study design to compare physicians who referred their patients to telepsychiatry each year from fiscal year (FY) 2008 to FY 2016. A 1-year (FY 2016) comparison of family physicians who referred to telepsychiatry (FPTs) compared to family physicians who did not refer to telepsychiatry (FPNTs) matched (1:2) by region was also conducted. Finally, we used statistical modeling to understand the predictors of referring to telepsychiatry among physicians.

RESULTS

Between FY 2008 and FY 2016, the number of patients receiving telepsychiatry increased from 925 visits to 13,825 visits. Thirty-two percent of Ontario primary care physicians referred to telepsychiatry in 2016. Several characteristics were notably different between FPTs and FPNTs: FPTs were more likely to be from a residence with less than 10,000 people, to have more nurse practitioners in the practice, and to be from a family health team than FPNTs. Rostered patients of FPTs were more likely to reside in rural areas, have more clinical complexity, and to utilize more mental health services compared to FPNTs.

CONCLUSIONS

There has been an increase in the use of telepsychiatry by patients and family physicians over the study period, although there remains opportunity for significant growth. Family physicians who live in rural areas, are part of an FHT, have more NPs, with more rural and complex patients were more likely to refer to telepsychiatry. As recent pro-telemedicine policies support the growth of telepsychiatry, this study will serve as an important baseline.

Acceptability of Telemedicine Features to Promote Its Uptake in Practice: A Survey of Community Telemental Health Providers

Understanding what motivates mental health providers to use telemedicine (i.e., telemental health) is critical for optimizing its uptake, especially during unprecedented times (e.g., the COVID-19 pandemic). Drawing from the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), this report examined the characteristics of telemental health providers and how the acceptability of telemedicine features contributes to their intention to use the technology more often in practice. Telemental health providers (N = 177) completed an online survey between March and May 2019. Most providers (75%) spent less than 25% of their work-week using telemedicine, but 70% reported an intention to use telemedicine more in the future. The belief that telemedicine affords greater access to patients, work-life balance, flexibility in providing care, and the opportunity to be at the forefront of innovative care were significant predictors of intentions to use the technology more in the future. Other significant predictors included needing assistance to coordinate insurance reimbursements, manage a successful telemedicine practice, and integrate the telemedicine program with other health IT software. Findings have important implications for increasing the frequency of telemedicine use among telemental health providers. Future research and practice should leverage providers' positive beliefs about telemedicine acceptability and consider their needs to enhance its uptake.

Human Touch via Touchscreen: Rural Nurses' Experiential Perspectives on Telehealth Use in Pediatric Hospice Care

CONTEXT

Telemedicine has the potential to extend care reach and access to home-based hospice services for children. Few studies have explored nurse perspectives regarding this communication modality for rural pediatric cohorts.

OBJECTIVES

The objective of this qualitative study was to learn from the experiences of rural hospice nurses caring for children at the end of life using telehealth modalities to inform palliative communication.

METHODS

Voice-recorded qualitative interviews with rural hospice nurse telehealth users inquiring on nurse experiences with telehealth. Semantic content analysis was used.

RESULTS

About 15 hospice nurses representing nine rural hospice agencies were interviewed. Nurses participated in an average of eight telehealth visits in the three months prior. Nurses were female with a mean age of 38 years and an average of seven years of hospice nursing experience. Five themes about telehealth emerged: accessible support, participant inclusion, timely communication, informed and trusted planning, and familiarity fostered. Each theme had both benefits and cautions associated as well as telehealth suggestions. Nurses recommended individualizing communication, pacing content, fostering human connection, and developing relationships even with technology use.

CONCLUSION

The experiences of nurses who use telehealth in their care for children receiving end-of-life care in rural regions may enable palliative care teams to understand both the benefits and challenges of telehealth use. Nurse insights on telehealth may help palliative care teams better honor the communication needs of patients and families while striving to improve care access.

Telepsychiatry and Outpatient Department Services

The utilization of telemedicine and telepsychiatry (TP) services in the outpatient department (OPD) has been increasing in recent years. The information about the technological, administrative, and clinical challenges is being addressed by the telemedicine and TP guidelines published by several individual nations. TP aims to address the treatment gaps, barriers for utilization, accessibility, diagnostic validity, financial implications, and individual client preferences. Utilization of TP in the OPD varies from country to country depending upon their healthcare delivery systems. It also varies in populations utilizing the TP services-urban, rural, child and adolescent, geriatric, and differently abled. TP services in the OPDs are being incorporated differentially by government organizations, insurance recognized psychiatric healthcare organizations, private psychiatric group practice deliverers, and individual, standalone psychiatric healthcare deliverers. TP may not replace the traditional in-person consultations completely. Covid-19 pandemic has hastened its utilization across several healthcare delivery systems. Healthcare organizations, clinicians, other healthcare deliverers, and end users are in the process of adapting to the new scenario. Incorporation of the big data, machine learning, artificial intelligence, virtual reality, and other technological advances in the psychiatric healthcare delivery systems into TP services in the OPDs would significantly contribute to the overall quality and efficacy of the psychiatric healthcare delivery systems in the future.

A systematic review of providers' attitudes toward telemental health via videoconferencing

Telemental health conducted via videoconferencing (TMH-V) has the potential to improve access to care, and providers' attitudes toward this innovation play a crucial role in its uptake. This systematic review examined providers' attitudes toward TMH-V through the lens of the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT). Findings suggest that providers have positive overall attitudes toward TMH-V despite describing multiple drawbacks. Therefore, the relative advantages of TMH-V, such as its ability to increase access to care, may outweigh its disadvantages, including technological problems, increased hassle, and perceptions of impersonality. Providers' attitudes may also be related to their degree of prior TMH-V experience, and acceptance may increase with use. Limitations and implications of findings for implementation efforts are discussed.

Barriers to Use of Telepsychiatry: Clinicians as Gatekeepers

Telepsychiatry is effective and has generated hope and promise for improved access and enhanced quality of care with reasonable cost containment. Clinicians and organizations are informed about clinical, technological, and administrative telepsychiatric barriers via guidelines, but there are many practical patient and clinician factors that have slowed implementation and undermined sustainability. Literature describing barriers to use of telepsychiatry was reviewed. PubMed search terms with date limits from January 1, 1959, to April 25, 2019, included telepsychiatry, telemedicine, telemental health, videoconferencing, video based, Internet, synchronous, real-time, two-way, limitations, restrictions, barriers, obstacles, challenges, issues, implementation, utilization, adoption, perspectives, perceptions, attitudes, beliefs, willingness, acceptability, feasibility, culture/cultural, outcomes, satisfaction, quality, effectiveness, and efficacy. Articles were selected for inclusion on the basis of relevance. Barriers are described from both patient and clinicians' perspectives. Patients and clinicians are largely satisfied with telepsychiatry, but concerns about establishing rapport, privacy, safety, and technology limitations have slowed acceptance of telepsychiatry. Clinicians are also concerned about reimbursement/financial, legal/regulatory, licensure/credentialing, and education/learning issues. These issues point to system and policy concerns, which, in combination with other administrative concerns, raise questions about system design/workflow, efficiency of clinical care, and changing organizational culture. Although telepsychiatry service is convenient for patients, the many barriers from clinicians' perspectives are concerning, because they serve as gatekeepers for implementation and sustainability of telepsychiatry services. This suggests that solutions to overcome barriers must start by addressing the concerns of clinicians and enhancing clinical workflow.

Disagreement in Satisfaction Between Patients and Providers in the Use of Videoconferences by Depressed Adults

Aim: To evaluate whether there was a difference in satisfaction scores between providers and patients in the use of videoconferences (VCs) by depressed adults. Method: This study was a subanalysis of the joint European project, MasterMind, and participants were recruited from 15 pilot studies in 11 different countries. The Client Satisfaction Questionnaire (CSQ)-3 was used as assessment tool, and scores were summed to give total scores. The questionnaire consists of three items evaluating general satisfaction, fulfillment of needs in treatment, and usability. Results: A total of 362 respondents, 201 patients and 161 providers, completed the questionnaire. Providers had a mean total CSQ-3 score of 9.17 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 8.90-9.45), whereas patients had a mean of 9.70 (95% CI = 9.44-9.98). Mean scores for item 1 (the extent to which VCs had met the needs of the participants): patients 3.19, providers 2.93 (p = 0.00048); for item 2 (general satisfaction): patients 3.22, providers 3.08 (p = 0.083); and item 3 (whether participants wanted to use VCs again): patients 3.28 providers 3.16 (p = 0.045). Conclusion: The results showed that total satisfaction scores were higher in patients than in providers. The differences between patients and providers were significant for items 1 and 3 (p < 0.05), but we did not find a significant difference regarding item 2.

Nurses' Role in Implementing and Sustaining Acute Telemedicine: A Mixed-Methods, Pre-Post Design Using an Extended Technology Acceptance Model

PURPOSE

Technology-based systems like telemedicine are frequently being implemented into healthcare settings, impacting clinician practices. Little is known about factors influencing acute telemedicine uptake, if factors differ across time, or between nurses and non-nurses.

DESIGN

A mixed-methods, pre-post design with implementation of a new acute stroke telemedicine service.

METHODS

A survey based on an extended Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) was administered to clinicians involved in acute stroke care at 16 regional hospitals (2014-2017). Open-ended questions postimplementation (at 6 months) included strengths of the program and areas to improve. Subsequently, a secondary analysis of nurses' semistructured interviews at the first telemedicine site (2010-2011) was completed to provide greater explanatory detail.

FINDINGS

Surveys were completed by nurses (preimplementation n = 77, postimplementation n = 92) and non-nurses (pre n = 90, post n = 44). Preimplementation, perceived usefulness was the only significant predictor of intending to use telemedicine for nurses, while perceived ease of use and social influence were significant for non-nurses. Postimplementation, perceived usefulness was significant for both groups, as was facilitating conditions for nurses. Specific examples aligned to TAM categories from our detailed interviews (n = 11 nurses) included perceived usefulness (improved clinical support and patient care), perceived ease of use (technical, clinical aspects), facilitating conditions (setting, education, confidence), and social influence (working relationships).

CONCLUSIONS

Important factors for acute stroke telemedicine varied between nurses and non-nurses, and changed after implementation. The benefits of telemedicine should be emphasized to nurses. Preimplementation, more non-nurses wanted systems to be easy. Support in clinical, technical, and relationship aspects of telemedicine consultations is required.

CLINICAL RELEVANCE

Nurses are influential in implementing acute telemedicine, which is complex, with clinical and technical aspects entwined. Evidence-based implementation strategies must be tailored over time, and between nurses and non-nurses, to ensure initial uptake and ongoing use.