Evaluating the Effect of a Telepsychiatry Educational Program on the Awareness, Knowledge, Attitude, and Skills of Telepsychiatry Among Spanish Psychiatrists during COVID-19 Pandemic.
Telemed J E Health
; 2022 May 12.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-2240145
ABSTRACT
Introduction:
The COVID-19 pandemic has renewed the interest in telepsychiatry as a way to help psychiatrists care for their patients, but mental health providers' unfamiliarity and concerns may impede implementation of such services. This study aimed to determine the effect of an online educational intervention on awareness, knowledge, attitude, and skills (AKAS) of telepsychiatry among psychiatrists.Methods:
The study used a pre-post-test design to compare AKAS of telepsychiatry among psychiatrists participating in an online course of practical telepsychiatry. The telemedicine AKAS questionnaire adapted to telepsychiatry was applied before and after the educational intervention, during the months of October to December 2020.Results:
Responses from 213 participants were analyzed before the educational intervention and from 152 after it. The knowledge showed by Spanish psychiatrists before the educational intervention was good in 61% of participants, fair in 37%, and inadequate in 2%. With respect to attitudes toward telepsychiatry, 62% self-reported a high attitude, 33% moderate, and 5% low. With regard self-reported skills, 57% of the participating psychiatrists were highly skilled or experts, 22% moderately skilled, and 9% unskilled in handling telepsychiatry equipment. Despite the high baseline values, the educational intervention significantly improved psychiatrists' awareness, knowledge and attitudes toward telepsychiatry although not their skills.Conclusions:
Online course of practical telepsychiatry was effective although future editions need to improve its focus on skills. This educational intervention represents an effort to promote the implementation of telepsychiatry as a health care alternative.
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Type of study:
Experimental Studies
/
Observational study
/
Prognostic study
Language:
English
Journal subject:
Medical Informatics
/
Health Services
Year:
2022
Document Type:
Article
Affiliation country:
Tmj.2022.0051
Similar
MEDLINE
...
LILACS
LIS