ABSTRACT
Introduction: Recent advancements in information technology and access to smartphone have expanded the scope of healthcare delivery services across the globe. Telemedicine is making healthcare affordable and more accessible to the needy in situations like the present pandemic. Although telepsychiatry services were underutilised initially in India due to various barriers, its role in delivering healthcare services, has gained pace since the last few years. During the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, India introduced telemedicine practice guidelines (March, 2020), and telepsychiatry operational guidelines (May, 2020), to remove barriers and promote equitable access. In the wake of COVID-19 pandemic various mental health institutes across India relied heavily upon telepsychiatry services to provide care. National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences, Bangalore being an Institute of National Importance has introduced different modules to provide clinical care to the mentally ill. Objectives: In this article, the authors provide an experiential account of various clinical services provided by our institute through telepsychiatry means across India during the COVID-19 pandemic. Conclusion: These clinical service modules have tremendous potential to increase the use of technology in providing quality care to the unreached population, bridging the treatment gap for psychiatric disorders globally and developing countries in particular.
ABSTRACT
Objective: To provide a glimpse of various digital programs and modules that are being implemented across the country by the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS), Bengaluru, India (an institution of national importance under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India;one of its mandates is to develop innovative strategies to improve mental health capacity building as part of the National Mental Health Program, a publicly funded health program to cater to the public health need posed by psychiatric disorders). Design: The information is presented in a narrative fashion by organizing the activities into three categories of digital training methods: webinar mode, blended mode and hybrid mode. Results: Cadres ranging from lay-counsellors (volunteers in the community), non-specialist health workers to professionals including medical officers are covered with these initiatives. During the period from August 2016 till December 2020, more than 16 million man hours of training is delivered for more than 35,000 participants from across the country. Conclusions: These have a tremendous potential to exponentially increase skilled human resources capable of providing quality care to hitherto unserved remote areas of the rural hinterland and ultimately reduce the burgeoning treatment gap. In-depth outcome assessments are the need of the hour.
ABSTRACT
The COVID-19 pandemic has posed challenges to community-based rehabilitation (CBR) for persons with mental illness, especially in resource-constrained settings. This column discusses the pandemic-related challenges faced by a rural CBR program in Jagaluru taluk (a subdistrict) in Karnataka, India. Thanks to stakeholder collaboration, task shifting with lay health workers, and implementation of telepsychiatry, the authors' clinical team could ensure uninterrupted medical care for persons with serious mental illness. Other CBR components were reduced because of pandemic-imposed resource and logistic constraints.
Subject(s)
COVID-19 , Mental Disorders , Psychiatry , Telemedicine , Continuity of Patient Care , Humans , India , Mental Disorders/therapy , PandemicsABSTRACT
We describe the utility of telephonic aftercare services (including liaising with primary healthcare providers) rendered to persons with psychiatric disorders (n = 1049) during the lockdown period of COVID 19 pandemic in India. Such consultations can be continued even after the COVID 19 period for suitable patients.