Remote mental health clients prefer face-to-face consultations to telehealth during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. (February 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Amos, Andrew James; Middleton, Jocelyn; Gardiner, Fergus W.
• Is Part Of: Australasian psychiatry. Volume 30:Number 1(2022)
• Page Start: 18
• Page End: 22
• Publication Date: 2022-02
• Subjects: rural mental health -- telehealth -- Indigenous psychiatry -- administrative mental health; Psychiatry -- Australasia -- Periodicals; Psychiatry -- Periodicals; 616.89005
• DOI: 10.1177/10398562211043509
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1039-8562

Abstract

Objective: To guide the efficient and effective provision of mental health services to clients in Central West and Far North Queensland, we surveyed preferences for face-to-face or in-person contact. Methods: A clinician-designed survey of contact preferences was offered to 248 clients of mental health services in Far North and Central West Queensland in mid-2020. With the onset of COVID-19, the survey was modified to measure the impact of the pandemic. Results: Just over half of the services' clients participated in the survey (50.4%), of whom more were female (63.2%). Of the participants, 46.3% in Far North and 8.6% in Central West Queensland identified as Indigenous. Strong resistance to telehealth before the pandemic across groups (76%) was moderated during COVID-19 (42.4%), an effect that appeared likely to continue past the pandemic for Central West clients (34.5%). Far North clients indicated their telehealth reluctance would return after the pandemic (77.6%). Conclusions: Our results suggest that remote Australians strongly prefer in-person mental health care to telehealth. Although the COVID-19 pandemic increased acceptance of telehealth across regions while social distancing continued, there was evidence that Indigenous Australians were more likely to prefer in-person contact after the pandemic.