Experiencias de telesalud en un hospital especializado en salud mental durante la pandemia de COVID-19 en Perú / Telehealth experiences in a specialized mental health hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic in Peru

RESUMEN El objetivo de este artículo es dar a conocer las experiencias de telesalud en un hospital especializado en salud mental en Lima, Perú durante la pandemia de COVID-19. En concordancia con las disposiciones, como el cierre temporal de la atención presencial y el confinamiento obligatorio entre los meses de marzo a diciembre del 2020, se brindó progresivamente atención a través de llamadas telefónicas, videollamadas o plataformas digitales; se realizaron 57398 atenciones de teleconsultas y telemonitoreos; 4411 orientaciones en salud mental; 295 teleinterconsultas en psiquiatría; 42 actividades de telecapacitación y 29 sesiones educativas en salud mental dirigidas a la población general. Concluimos que la implementación de la telesalud para la atención de los usuarios del Hospital Hermilio Valdizán contribuyó al cuidado de la salud mental y permite reducir las brechas de acceso a la atención especializada en psiquiatría por las consecuencias de la COVID-19.

ABSTRACT The objective of this article is to present the experiences of telehealth in a hospital specialized in mental health in Lima, Peru during 2020. In accordance with the provisions such as the temporary closure of face-to-face care and mandatory confinement between the months of March As of December, care was progressively provided through telephone calls, video calls or digital platforms, with 57,398 teleconsultations and telemonitoring, 4411 mental health orientations, 295 teleinterconsultations in psychiatry, 42 teletraining activities and 29 educational sessions in mental health aimed at the general population. We conclude that the implementation of telehealth for the care of the users of the Hermilio Valdizán Hospital contributed to mental health care and reduces the gaps in access to specialized care in psychiatry due to the consequences of COVID-19.

A randomized clinical trial of home-based telepsychiatric outpatient care via videoconferencing: design, methodology, and implementation

Healthcare providers are continuously challenged to find innovative, cost-effective alternatives and to scale up existent services to meet the growing demand upon mental health care delivery. Due to continuous advances in technologies, telepsychiatry has become an effective tool for psychiatric care. In 2012, the Institute of Psychiatry of the University of São Paulo Medical School started a randomized clinical trial of home-based telepsychiatric outpatient care via videoconferencing. Objective: The objective of this article is to describe the design, methodology and implementation of a pilot project, which aimed to verify the applicability and efficiency of psychiatric attendance via Internet-based videoconferencing in a resource-constrained environment. Methods: The project consisted of a 12 months follow-up study with a randomized clinical trial, which compared various quality indicators between home-based telepsychiatric aftercare via videoconferencing and face-to-face aftercare. Results: The final sample comprised 107 outpatients (53 in the telepsychiatry group and 54 in the control group). Among 1,227 realized consultations, 489 were held by videoconferencing. Satisfaction with the aftercare by videoconferencing and the medication delivery was high among patients. Attending psychiatrists were satisfied with the assistance by videoconferencing. Discussion: The experiences during this pilot project have overall been very positive and psychiatric outpatient care by videoconferencing seems viable to treat patients even in a resource-constrained environment...