Virtual Behavioral Health Treatment Satisfaction and Outcomes Across Time
Purpose: The COVID-19 pandemic continues to have major and long-lasting impacts on health care delivery and mental health. As health care shifted to telehealth, legislation was adjusted to expand telehealth allowances, creating a unique opportunity to elucidate outcomes. The aim of this study was to...
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Format: | Article |
Language: | English |
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Advocate Aurora Health
2022-07-01
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Series: | Journal of Patient-Centered Research and Reviews |
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Online Access: | https://institutionalrepository.aah.org/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1918&context=jpcrr |
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author | Mindy R. Waite Sara Diab James Adefisoye |
author_facet | Mindy R. Waite Sara Diab James Adefisoye |
author_sort | Mindy R. Waite |
collection | DOAJ |
description | Purpose: The COVID-19 pandemic continues to have major and long-lasting impacts on health care delivery and mental health. As health care shifted to telehealth, legislation was adjusted to expand telehealth allowances, creating a unique opportunity to elucidate outcomes. The aim of this study was to assess long-term patient and clinician satisfaction and outcomes with virtual behavioral health.
Methods: Data were obtained over 16 months from surveys to patients and clinicians receiving/providing virtual treatment. Outcomes data also were collected from medical records of adults receiving in-person and virtual behavioral health treatment. Data were summarized using descriptive statistics. Groups were compared using various chi-squared tests for categorical variables, Likert response trends over time, and conditional independence, with Wilcoxon rank-sum or Jonckheere trend test used to assess continuous variables. P-values of ≤ 0.05 were considered statistically significant.
Results: Patients gave high ratings to virtual treatment and indicated a preference for virtual formats. Both patient and clinician preference for virtual visits increased significantly with time, and many clinicians perceived virtual services to be equally effective to in-person. Virtual programs had higher completion rates, attendance rates, and number of treatment visits, suggesting that virtual behavioral health had equivalent or better outcomes to in-person treatment and that attitudes toward telehealth changed over time.
Conclusions: If trends found in this study continue, telehealth may emerge as a preferred option long term This is important considering the increase in mental health needs associated with the COVID-19 pandemic and the eventuality that in-person restrictions ease as the pandemic subsides. |
first_indexed | 2024-04-10T18:00:28Z |
format | Article |
id | doaj.art-4f071320dde84d928569006497d2ee09 |
institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
issn | 2330-0698 |
language | English |
last_indexed | 2024-04-10T18:00:28Z |
publishDate | 2022-07-01 |
publisher | Advocate Aurora Health |
record_format | Article |
series | Journal of Patient-Centered Research and Reviews |
spelling | doaj.art-4f071320dde84d928569006497d2ee092023-02-02T15:53:06ZengAdvocate Aurora HealthJournal of Patient-Centered Research and Reviews2330-06982022-07-019315816510.17294/2330-0698.1918Virtual Behavioral Health Treatment Satisfaction and Outcomes Across TimeMindy R. Waite0https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3489-0200Sara Diab1James Adefisoye2https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1704-0733Advocate Aurora Health, Milwaukee, WIAdvocate Aurora Health, Milwaukee, WI; Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, North Chicago, ILAdvocate Aurora Health, Milwaukee, WIPurpose: The COVID-19 pandemic continues to have major and long-lasting impacts on health care delivery and mental health. As health care shifted to telehealth, legislation was adjusted to expand telehealth allowances, creating a unique opportunity to elucidate outcomes. The aim of this study was to assess long-term patient and clinician satisfaction and outcomes with virtual behavioral health. Methods: Data were obtained over 16 months from surveys to patients and clinicians receiving/providing virtual treatment. Outcomes data also were collected from medical records of adults receiving in-person and virtual behavioral health treatment. Data were summarized using descriptive statistics. Groups were compared using various chi-squared tests for categorical variables, Likert response trends over time, and conditional independence, with Wilcoxon rank-sum or Jonckheere trend test used to assess continuous variables. P-values of ≤ 0.05 were considered statistically significant. Results: Patients gave high ratings to virtual treatment and indicated a preference for virtual formats. Both patient and clinician preference for virtual visits increased significantly with time, and many clinicians perceived virtual services to be equally effective to in-person. Virtual programs had higher completion rates, attendance rates, and number of treatment visits, suggesting that virtual behavioral health had equivalent or better outcomes to in-person treatment and that attitudes toward telehealth changed over time. Conclusions: If trends found in this study continue, telehealth may emerge as a preferred option long term This is important considering the increase in mental health needs associated with the COVID-19 pandemic and the eventuality that in-person restrictions ease as the pandemic subsides.https://institutionalrepository.aah.org/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1918&context=jpcrrtelehealthtelemedicinepatient and clinician satisfactionbehavioral healthcovid-19no-showshybrid virtual |
spellingShingle | Mindy R. Waite Sara Diab James Adefisoye Virtual Behavioral Health Treatment Satisfaction and Outcomes Across Time Journal of Patient-Centered Research and Reviews telehealth telemedicine patient and clinician satisfaction behavioral health covid-19 no-shows hybrid virtual |
title | Virtual Behavioral Health Treatment Satisfaction and Outcomes Across Time |
title_full | Virtual Behavioral Health Treatment Satisfaction and Outcomes Across Time |
title_fullStr | Virtual Behavioral Health Treatment Satisfaction and Outcomes Across Time |
title_full_unstemmed | Virtual Behavioral Health Treatment Satisfaction and Outcomes Across Time |
title_short | Virtual Behavioral Health Treatment Satisfaction and Outcomes Across Time |
title_sort | virtual behavioral health treatment satisfaction and outcomes across time |
topic | telehealth telemedicine patient and clinician satisfaction behavioral health covid-19 no-shows hybrid virtual |
url | https://institutionalrepository.aah.org/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1918&context=jpcrr |
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