ABSTRACT
Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic led to the implementation of digital psychiatry (DP) in everyday clinical practice, resulting in the need for a skilled healthcare workforce. Objective(s): Our purpose was to investigate the level of training, knowledge and expertise of young mental health professionals and medical students in DP, as well as exploring their beliefs and experiences in this field. Method(s): An ad hoc cross-sectional survey was designed and administered to Italian medical students, psychiatry trainees, and early career psychiatrists. Result(s): Most of the sample declared that the topic of DP was never discussed within their academic training (89.1%), mainly revealing an overall lack of knowledge on DP. Nevertheless, they mostly declared that DP represents a valuable therapeutic tool in mental health (80%) and that the academic background should include a dedicated course/module (54.4%). Moreover, most subjects declared that DP is less effective than in-person interventions (73.2%), despite the emerging evidence that being trained in DP is significantly associated with the belief that digital and in-person interventions are comparable in their effectiveness (p<=0.05). Conclusion(s): During the current pandemic, DP represented an ideal response to the need for physical distancing by ensuring the advantage of greater access to care. However, DP interventions are still uncommon, and there remains a certain resistance to their use in mental health care. The lack of formal training during the academic training could be a limiting factor. Therefore, addressing these issues in academic settings could be crucial to spreading this innovative practice also in the post-COVID-19 era.
ABSTRACT
Background and objectives. The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has profoundly changed the mode in which mental health services provide care. The rapid development of technological tools led to the implementation of digital psychiatry in everyday clinical practice both in the public and the private sector. This advanced innovation resulted in the ever-increasing need for a skilled workforce. Our purpose was to investigate the level of expertise of young mental health professionals and students in this field. In particular, we aimed 1) to assess the level of knowledge, education, and experience in the use of digital psychiatry in the different stages of the medical and psychiatric training;2) to investigate the opinions and experiences regarding digital psychiatry. Methods. An ad hoc cross-sectional online survey was designed containing questions about digital psychiatry, telepsychiatry and e-mental health. The study population included Italian early career psychiatrists (within five years of specialization), psychiatry residents, M.D. waiting to start the psychiatry training program, and medical students. From September 28, 2020, to April 07, 2021, 239 subjects completed the survey. Results. The study participants’ mean age and proportion of women were 26.6 ± 3.9 years and 61.5% (n = 147), respectively. Most of the sample declared that the topic of digital psychiatry was never discussed within the training in medical school (n = 213;89.1%) and psychiatry residency (n = 260;96.2%). Meanwhile, more than half of the sample stated the importance of addressing these issues during the training in medical school (n = 130;54.4%) and psychiatry residency (n = 182;76.2%). Despite the lack of training experience, over half of the sample provided a correct definition of telepsychiatry (n = 176;73.6%) and correctly identified videoconferencing as the most used communication method in this area (n = 195;81.6%). The majority of the sample (n = 175;73.2%) declared that telepsychiatry is less effective than in-person interventions or equally/more effective only in young patients. Generally, most participants (n = 173;72.4%) declared that digital interventions represent a valuable therapeutic tool in mental health. Conclusions. For many specialists, the current COVID-19 pandemic was the first opportunity to reshape patient care through technological tools. Digital psychiatry represented an ideal response to the social distancing need, but, at the same time, it brought out the advantages of technological tools in increasing access to mental health services. Although digital psychiatry offers numerous opportunities and benefits, digital interventions within this field are still uncommon, and there remains a certain skepticism regarding this field. The lack of formal training on digital psychiatry within medical school and psychiatry residency could be a limiting factor. These training gaps seem to reflect the use and perception that clinicians display about digital psychiatry. Therefore, we believe that addressing these issues in academic settings would be crucial to spreading this innovative practice long after the pandemic has ended. No conflict of interest