From Pandemic to Progression: An Educational Framework for the Implementation of Virtual Mental Healthcare for Children and Youth as a Response to COVID-19

Bridget T. Doan,Chetana Kulkarni,Suneeta Monga,Pier Bryden,Seena Grewal,Erin Romanchych,Yue Bo Yang,Tony Pignatiello

doi:10.1007/s10879-020-09478-0

Abstract

COVID-19 restrictions have necessitated child/youth mental health providers to shift towards virtually delivering services to patients’ homes rather than hospitals and community mental health clinics. There is scant guidance available for clinicians on how to address unique considerations for the virtual mental healthcare of children and youth as clinicians rapidly shift their practices away from in-person care in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, we bridge this gap by discussing a six-pillar framework developed at Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, for delivering direct to patient virtual mental healthcare to children, youth and their families. We also offer a discussion of the advantages, disadvantages, and future implications of such services.

Highlights

The teaching and application of child and youth telemental health has occurred across diverse settings (Pignatiello et al 2009; Serhal et al 2017; Thomas et al 2018), typically showing similar parental satisfaction, diagnostic profiles, treatment adherence, and improvement in primary outcomes compared to in-person visits (AACAP 2017; Myers and Cain 2008)
Telemental health has been delivered in clinical settings with a technologically and medically optimized environment where healthcare providers, medical services, and interventions may be readily available in the case of safety or general medical concerns (AACAP 2017), often with a goal to provide access to underserviced populations
The COVID-19 pandemic has forced the delivery of virtual mental healthcare (VMHC) to prominence (Fagiolini et al 2020), illuminating many advantages and some disadvantages compared to traditional telemental health and/or in-person services

Summary

Introduction

The teaching and application of child and youth telemental health has occurred across diverse settings (Pignatiello et al 2009; Serhal et al 2017; Thomas et al 2018), typically showing similar parental satisfaction, diagnostic profiles, treatment adherence, and improvement in primary outcomes compared to in-person visits (AACAP 2017; Myers and Cain 2008). This rapid transition to VMHC presents unique considerations for clinicians, trainees and patients/families including extensive variation in access to technologies, availability of a responsible adult (when seeing children & some youth), and private assessment spaces.

Results

Conclusion