Effectiveness and Patient Satisfaction of Telepsychiatry Services for Reducing Anxiety in COVID-19 Outpatients: A Assessor Blinded RCT

Abstract

Introduction: Given the importance of anxiety management in pandemics, this study evaluated the effectiveness of telepsychiatry in reducing anxiety in outpatients with COVID-19 and their satisfaction. Methods: This RCT was conducted in a health center in which 188 COVID-19 outpatients participated. First, anxiety level was measured in both the intervention (IG) and control (CG) groups using the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI). Then, the IG was offered four educational contents via WhatsApp for four consecutive weeks. One month later, participants completed the BAI questionnaire again, and the CG completed a satisfaction questionnaire. Descriptive statistics and Wilcoxon and Chi-square tests were applied. Results: Psychosomatic complications were significantly reduced only in IG, but physical complications were reduced in both groups. Total anxiety also decreased significantly in both groups, but more significantly in IG (p < .001 for IG and p < .039 for CG). The efficacy of telepsychiatry in reducing anxiety in healthcare workers was greater than in other occupational groups. There was no significant relationship between other demographic variables and telepsychiatry effectiveness. Seventy-eight percent of IG participants had a high level of satisfaction and 70.3% expressed a high desire to receive telepsychiatry in the future. The most important advantages of telepsychiatry were observing social distance, saving time, and reducing costs. In addition, The most important challenges were the lack of face-to-face contact, the lack of previous experience, and the late response of the psychologist. Conclusion: Telepsychiatry effectively reduced moderate anxiety related to COVID-19 and provided high satisfaction.