Adjustment Disorders, Mental Health Disorder, Psychiatric Disorder, Stress
Conditions
Keywords
Telehealth, Telemedicine, Telepsych, Telepsychiatry, Telepsychology, Telemental health, Survey, Attitudes, COVID-19, pandemic, mental health, therapy, psychiatry
Brief summary
The purpose of this study is to collect patients' experiences and feedback to better understand and improve mental health care using telehealth services. This is critically important as telehealth appointments, including both phone and video calls, continue to be offered for regular appointments to reduce in-person interaction as a preventive measure to help control the spread of COVID-19.
Detailed description
Studying patients' perceived benefits and challenges of using telehealth services for mental health care will allow us to prioritize improvements to the telehealth experience and potentially, patient adoption of and comfort with remote appointments. This study's results would also inform policy makers and insurance companies about the potential utility of delivering mental health care through telehealth, even beyond the duration of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Interventions
OTHERNo interventions
This is a self-reported survey study about receiving mental health care during the COVID-19 pandemic
Sponsors
Northwestern University
Study design
Observational model
OTHER
Time perspective
OTHER
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to 99 Years
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
* Adults age 18 and over who received mental health care through Northwestern prior to telehealth implementation from March 15th 2019 to March 14th 2020, and had at least one mental health care appointment through Northwestern between March 15th 2020 and September 30th 2020.
Exclusion criteria
* Adults unable to access study questionnaires via computer or mobile device
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Patient Choosing Telehealth as an Option for Future Care | At baseline | Patients choosing telehealth or not for future case, or unsure) |
| Comparison Between In-person and Telehealth | At baseline | Subjects will reply on a 5 point scale (Telehealth much better, Telehealth better, about the same, In-person better, In-person much better Items compared: Quality of mental health care, ability to express one self, time & money savings, ease of managing responsibilities, length of wait times and appointments missed |
| Patient Satisfaction With Telehealth | At baseline | Subjects will reply on a 5 point scale (Extremely satisfied, Satisfied, Neither satisfied nor dissatisfied, Dissatisfied, Extremely Dissatisfied) No standard questionnaire. Internally developed questions |
| Patient Comfort Using Telehealth | At Baseline | Subjects will reply on a 5 point scale (Extremely comfortable, Comfortable, Neither comfortable nor uncomfortable, Uncomfortable, Extremely uncomfortable) No standard questionnaire. Internally developed questions |
| Patient Easy of Using Telehealth | At Baseline | Subjects will reply on a 5 point scale (Extremely easy, Easy, Neither easy nor difficult, Difficult, Extremely difficult) No standard questionnaire. Internally developed questions |
Countries
United States
Participant flow
Participants by arm
| Arm | Count |
|---|---|
| Patients Receiving Mental Health Care Prior to and During the COVID-19 Pandemic No interventions: This is a self-reported survey study about receiving mental health care during the COVID-19 pandemic | 605 |
| Total | 605 |
Baseline characteristics
| Characteristic | Patients Receiving Mental Health Care Prior to and During the COVID-19 Pandemic |
|---|---|
| Age, Categorical <=18 years | 0 Participants |
| Age, Categorical >=65 years | 141 Participants |
| Age, Categorical Between 18 and 65 years | 459 Participants |
| Ethnicity (NIH/OMB) Hispanic or Latino | 55 Participants |
| Ethnicity (NIH/OMB) Not Hispanic or Latino | 494 Participants |
| Ethnicity (NIH/OMB) Unknown or Not Reported | 53 Participants |
| Household income 100K - <200k | 122 Participants |
| Household income <10k | 50 Participants |
| Household income 10K - <15k | 37 Participants |
| Household income 15K - <30k | 64 Participants |
| Household income >200k | 47 Participants |
| Household income 30K - <50k | 62 Participants |
| Household income 50K - <75k | 84 Participants |
| Household income 75K - <100k | 51 Participants |
| Household income Prefer not to answer | 80 Participants |
| Race (NIH/OMB) American Indian or Alaska Native | 13 Participants |
| Race (NIH/OMB) Asian | 31 Participants |
| Race (NIH/OMB) Black or African American | 84 Participants |
| Race (NIH/OMB) More than one race | 0 Participants |
| Race (NIH/OMB) Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander | 0 Participants |
| Race (NIH/OMB) Unknown or Not Reported | 17 Participants |
| Race (NIH/OMB) White | 457 Participants |
| Sex: Female, Male Female | 418 Participants |
| Sex: Female, Male Male | 179 Participants |
Adverse events
| Event type | EG000 affected / at risk |
|---|---|
| deaths Total, all-cause mortality | 0 / 0 |
| other Total, other adverse events | 0 / 0 |
| serious Total, serious adverse events | 0 / 0 |
Outcome results
Primary
Comparison Between In-person and Telehealth
Subjects will reply on a 5 point scale (Telehealth much better, Telehealth better, about the same, In-person better, In-person much better Items compared: Quality of mental health care, ability to express one self, time & money savings, ease of managing responsibilities, length of wait times and appointments missed
Time frame: At baseline
| Arm | Measure | Category | Value (COUNT_OF_PARTICIPANTS) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Patients Receiving Mental Health Care Prior to and During the COVID-19 Pandemic Using Telehealth | Comparison Between In-person and Telehealth | Telehealth much better | 53 Participants |
| Patients Receiving Mental Health Care Prior to and During the COVID-19 Pandemic Using Telehealth | Comparison Between In-person and Telehealth | Telhealth better | 43 Participants |
| Patients Receiving Mental Health Care Prior to and During the COVID-19 Pandemic Using Telehealth | Comparison Between In-person and Telehealth | About the same | 335 Participants |
| Patients Receiving Mental Health Care Prior to and During the COVID-19 Pandemic Using Telehealth | Comparison Between In-person and Telehealth | In-person better | 115 Participants |
| Patients Receiving Mental Health Care Prior to and During the COVID-19 Pandemic Using Telehealth | Comparison Between In-person and Telehealth | In-person much better | 52 Participants |
Primary
Patient Choosing Telehealth as an Option for Future Care
Patients choosing telehealth or not for future case, or unsure)
Time frame: At baseline
| Arm | Measure | Category | Value (COUNT_OF_PARTICIPANTS) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Patients Receiving Mental Health Care Prior to and During the COVID-19 Pandemic Using Telehealth | Patient Choosing Telehealth as an Option for Future Care | Yes | 523 Participants |
| Patients Receiving Mental Health Care Prior to and During the COVID-19 Pandemic Using Telehealth | Patient Choosing Telehealth as an Option for Future Care | No | 43 Participants |
| Patients Receiving Mental Health Care Prior to and During the COVID-19 Pandemic Using Telehealth | Patient Choosing Telehealth as an Option for Future Care | Unsure | 36 Participants |
Primary
Patient Comfort Using Telehealth
Subjects will reply on a 5 point scale (Extremely comfortable, Comfortable, Neither comfortable nor uncomfortable, Uncomfortable, Extremely uncomfortable) No standard questionnaire. Internally developed questions
Time frame: At Baseline
| Arm | Measure | Category | Value (COUNT_OF_PARTICIPANTS) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Patients Receiving Mental Health Care Prior to and During the COVID-19 Pandemic Using Telehealth | Patient Comfort Using Telehealth | Extremely Comfortable | 297 Participants |
| Patients Receiving Mental Health Care Prior to and During the COVID-19 Pandemic Using Telehealth | Patient Comfort Using Telehealth | Comfortable | 234 Participants |
| Patients Receiving Mental Health Care Prior to and During the COVID-19 Pandemic Using Telehealth | Patient Comfort Using Telehealth | Neither comfortable nor uncomfortable | 36 Participants |
| Patients Receiving Mental Health Care Prior to and During the COVID-19 Pandemic Using Telehealth | Patient Comfort Using Telehealth | Uncomfortable | 22 Participants |
| Patients Receiving Mental Health Care Prior to and During the COVID-19 Pandemic Using Telehealth | Patient Comfort Using Telehealth | Extremely uncomfortable | 7 Participants |
Primary
Patient Easy of Using Telehealth
Subjects will reply on a 5 point scale (Extremely easy, Easy, Neither easy nor difficult, Difficult, Extremely difficult) No standard questionnaire. Internally developed questions
Time frame: At Baseline
| Arm | Measure | Category | Value (COUNT_OF_PARTICIPANTS) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Patients Receiving Mental Health Care Prior to and During the COVID-19 Pandemic Using Telehealth | Patient Easy of Using Telehealth | Extremely difficult | 4 Participants |
| Patients Receiving Mental Health Care Prior to and During the COVID-19 Pandemic Using Telehealth | Patient Easy of Using Telehealth | Extremely easy | 318 Participants |
| Patients Receiving Mental Health Care Prior to and During the COVID-19 Pandemic Using Telehealth | Patient Easy of Using Telehealth | Easy | 209 Participants |
| Patients Receiving Mental Health Care Prior to and During the COVID-19 Pandemic Using Telehealth | Patient Easy of Using Telehealth | Neither easy nor difficult | 48 Participants |
| Patients Receiving Mental Health Care Prior to and During the COVID-19 Pandemic Using Telehealth | Patient Easy of Using Telehealth | Difficult | 16 Participants |
Primary
Patient Satisfaction With Telehealth
Subjects will reply on a 5 point scale (Extremely satisfied, Satisfied, Neither satisfied nor dissatisfied, Dissatisfied, Extremely Dissatisfied) No standard questionnaire. Internally developed questions
Time frame: At baseline
| Arm | Measure | Category | Value (COUNT_OF_PARTICIPANTS) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Patients Receiving Mental Health Care Prior to and During the COVID-19 Pandemic Using Telehealth | Patient Satisfaction With Telehealth | Extremely satisfied | 278 Participants |
| Patients Receiving Mental Health Care Prior to and During the COVID-19 Pandemic Using Telehealth | Patient Satisfaction With Telehealth | Satisfied | 227 Participants |
| Patients Receiving Mental Health Care Prior to and During the COVID-19 Pandemic Using Telehealth | Patient Satisfaction With Telehealth | Neither satisfied nor dissatisfied | 56 Participants |
| Patients Receiving Mental Health Care Prior to and During the COVID-19 Pandemic Using Telehealth | Patient Satisfaction With Telehealth | Unsatisfied | 30 Participants |
| Patients Receiving Mental Health Care Prior to and During the COVID-19 Pandemic Using Telehealth | Patient Satisfaction With Telehealth | Extremely unsatisfied | 7 Participants |