Abstract
BackgroundTelepsychiatry is an increasingly used model of mental health care that connects patients with psychiatrists at a distance via videoconference. Telepsychiatry is an effective clinical intervention that improves access to quality care in regions with limited resources or in clinical situations where in-person care is unavailable.ObjectiveThis study aims to develop a validated survey tool to measure patient experience and satisfaction with telepsychiatry based on the quality of care domains. This study also seeks to understand which health service outcomes were most strongly correlated with overall satisfaction in the context of telepsychiatry.MethodsThe survey created in this study was developed and validated with a panel of subject matter and process experts and was piloted with 274 patients who received clinical consultations through the TeleMental Health Program at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health. Factor analysis was used to determine correlations between questions and quality of care domains and was also used to assess model fit.ResultsThe study provides a validated survey to measure patient satisfaction and experience with telepsychiatry across 4 domains: access and timeliness, appropriateness, effectiveness, and safety. Both safety and access and timeliness were found to be statistically significant predictors of satisfaction in our sample.ConclusionsBy situating patient satisfaction and experience within this framework, the survey facilitates patient data collection and interpretation through a clinical quality lens.
Highlights
Telepsychiatry is an increasingly common modality of mental health care that connects patients with psychiatrists at a distance via videoconference [1]
Two patient surveys that we were able to locate in the literature have been validated—one that assesses patient experiences of privacy and security [13] and another designed to measure the attitudes of laypeople and providers toward telepsychiatry [14]—yet no comprehensive satisfaction measures have been validated to date
A total of 175 patients (63.9%) stated this to be their first experience with telepsychiatry, and 26 (6.5%) patients had been hospitalized for mental health issues in the previous 12 months
Summary
Telepsychiatry is an increasingly common modality of mental health care that connects patients with psychiatrists at a distance via videoconference [1]. This mental health care delivery model is an effective clinical intervention that reduces geographical barriers and improves access to care in regions with limited resources [2]. Satisfaction with telepsychiatry is commonly reported as being high among service users and service providers alike [3], opportunities for research exist in the development and validation of quantitative and qualitative indices to measure clinical service, satisfaction, and experience and to ensure access to quality care [4]. Telepsychiatry is an increasingly used model of mental health care that connects patients with psychiatrists at a distance via videoconference. Telepsychiatry is an effective clinical intervention that improves access to quality care in regions with limited resources or in clinical situations where in-person care is unavailable
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