Published on in Vol 9, No 10 (2022): October

Preprints (earlier versions) of this paper are available at https://preprints.jmir.org/preprint/37939, first published .
Teaching Telepsychiatry Skills: Building on the Lessons of the COVID-19 Pandemic to Enhance Mental Health Care in the Future

Teaching Telepsychiatry Skills: Building on the Lessons of the COVID-19 Pandemic to Enhance Mental Health Care in the Future

Teaching Telepsychiatry Skills: Building on the Lessons of the COVID-19 Pandemic to Enhance Mental Health Care in the Future

Editorial

1Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom

2Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust, Warneford Hospital, Oxford, United Kingdom

3Oxford Precision Psychiatry Lab, Oxford Health Biomedical Research Centre, Oxford, United Kingdom

4Division of Digital Psychiatry, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States

Corresponding Author:

Andrea Cipriani, MD, PhD

Department of Psychiatry

University of Oxford

Warneford Hospital

Oxford, OX3 7JX

United Kingdom

Phone: 44 01865618200

Email: andrea.cipriani@psych.ox.ac.uk


COVID-19 has accelerated the use of telehealth and technology in mental health care, creating new avenues to increase both access to and quality of care. As video visits and synchronous telehealth become more routine, the field is now on the verge of embracing asynchronous telehealth, with the potential to radically transform mental health. However, sustaining the use of basic synchronous telehealth, let alone embracing asynchronous telehealth, requires new and immediate effort. Programs to increase digital literacy and competencies among both clinicians and patients are now critical to ensure all parties have the knowledge, confidence, and ability to equitably benefit from emerging innovations. This editorial outlines the immediate potential as well as concrete steps toward realizing the potential of a new, more personalized, scalable mental health system.

JMIR Ment Health 2022;9(10):e37939

doi:10.2196/37939

Keywords


During the COVID-19 pandemic, telepsychiatry—a “virtually perfect” solution to the immediate crisis of a global pandemic [1]—has provided an effective way to deliver care while maintaining social (or, more accurately, physical) distancing. Although remote assessments were novel to many real-world clinicians, telepsychiatry is not a new discipline. There is a well-established evidence base of effectiveness in different patient populations and demographics [2]. Established guidance on telepsychiatry is available and has been synthesized into a user-friendly format, updated to include COVID-19–specific strategies [3,4]. There are additional advantages over in-person treatment in terms of convenience, privacy, reduced stigma, and ease of integration with multidisciplinary viewpoints and specialized care, as well as with other digital technologies [5-7]. Feedback from patients is also positive [8,9] and a majority want to continue to use it after the pandemic [10]—but can the same be said for clinicians? To use fully the wide range of modalities for treatment delivery including telepsychiatry and digital approaches, and to feel confident and competent in offering a truly hybrid service, clinicians will need training to build on the immediate experience they gained during the COVID-19 pandemic [9,11].

At the beginning of the pandemic, there was an almost overnight transition to video- and telephone-based assessments in mental health in many countries [12,13]. Immediate challenges were related to technology and access issues. These included access to both sufficient broadband speed and to a software solution compliant with local and national guidance, which varies across regions and countries. For example, in the United States, software must be compliant with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) [14], whereas in other countries such as the United Kingdom, commonly available tools such as Skype, WhatsApp, and FaceTime are deemed acceptable, assuming an appropriate local risk assessment. Audio and video transmission also need to be encrypted (according to national guidance) and the device used needs security features (such as passphrases, two-factor authentication, and the latest antivirus, antimalware, and firewall software with updates) [5]. Licensing and legislation also initially provided a barrier, especially in the United States, as prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, physicians in telemedicine were required to be licensed in the state in which the patient was located. In the context of the pandemic, these barriers were quickly overcome (eg, by emergency waivers) to allow telepsychiatry to proceed. Clinicians quickly modified their in-person skills to using telephone and video, learning to a large extent by “doing” [15]. Still, not all were able to adapt easily, and a lack of digital competency has been suggested to be a major source of burnout and stress in these clinicians [16].

However, there is much more to telepsychiatry than just video visits and phone calls. Video and telephone approaches are often classed as “synchronous” telepsychiatry because the interaction, although distanced, is delivered in real time. Asynchronous telepsychiatry, by contrast, occurs when the clinician and patient interaction is separated by time as well as distance. Examples include use of apps for monitoring or delivering treatment, and use of smartphones and other mobile health apps [17]. These technologies can all add rich data and modes of communication to the clinical consultation, but clinicians need to be aware of potential pitfalls as well as advantages. During the pandemic, clinicians have focused almost invariably on video and telephone consultations only [13]. Even after more than two years of pandemic restrictions, clinicians continue to have less experience around asynchronous telehealth, despite its potential to exponentially increase access to care.

Going forward, it is clear that telepsychiatry has the potential to offer much more than a simple replacement of face-to-face care, as a short-term solution to an immediate crisis. Telepsychiatry can now be used toward its true potential in radically increasing access to care as well as quality through an artful combination of synchronous and asynchronous technologies [18], but to realize this, the art of telepsychiatry requires investments in teaching the knowledge, skills, and competencies necessary to use the full range of these technologies. This extension of skills is key, as telepsychiatry will be needed more and more in the future, not only as an essential element of planning for the next crisis but also as the most efficient and effective approach to move psychiatry toward personalized and preventive care that serves the entire population.

Retraining the workforce need not start from scratch. Synchronous telepsychiatry [19], mobile technologies and apps [17,20], social media [21,22], and digital informatics [23] already have proposed competency frameworks. Many are aligned with pre-existing medical education frameworks (see Multimedia Appendix 1 for examples) and use levels of skill attainment: Novice, Competent/Proficient, and Expert. These proposed competencies focus on acquiring and developing skills rather than pure knowledge acquisition [24], and skills development is monitored through ongoing assessment during patient care [25]. Telehealth curricula have been proposed for medical students and for residents (Multimedia Appendix 1). There are examples of programs for teaching telehealth [26-37] (Multimedia Appendix 2), and some psychiatry residency programs in the United States for example are also offering informatics tracks [38]. Novel approaches, such as identifying a care team member (a “digital navigator”) to promote and model digital health within clinical teams [39] also show great promise. However, there are important challenges with training the current workforce in telepsychiatry:

  1. Enthusiasm may vary and individual clinicians differ in their openness to training. Many already feel they are competent enough, given their experience during the COVID-19 pandemic. The focus of their immediate management has used synchronous techniques, and clinicians may assume that skills can be translated directly from the in-person to virtual setting. Digital literacy among clinicians can also vary [40] and depends to some extent on age [41]. Younger staff and students are often considered as “digital natives” who have grown up with widespread digital technologies, compared to so-called “digital immigrants” who did not encounter these until adulthood [12,21]. However, these are broad categories, with individual variation in skills and enthusiasm for digital literacy, and significant differences for people in their use of and comfort with technologies. Teaching must be targeted and tailored, taking these baseline differences into account.
  2. Clinicians are only part of the equation; we also need to improve access to technology for patients. A successful virtual or hybrid clinical interaction can only occur if both clinician and patient are able to access and navigate the tools being used. Access to devices and adequate connectivity represents one significant digital divide, but there is also a second barrier, in which patients have access to technologies but do not have the digital literacy, competence, or confidence to use them to their full potential. Offering training and skills building to patients to strengthen their competence and autonomy in using digital technology to support their health and their therapeutic relationship is critical to ensure access to help for those who need it the most [18]. There are successful examples of schemes for those with serious mental illness, with skills and competencies that are shareable for other groups to modify or expand on as needed [42], and those for community stakeholders to enable remote participation in research studies or community engagement initiatives [43].
  3. Existing competency frameworks are comprehensive and detailed, but many have not actually been implemented. This makes them ideally suited for further testing, but less appropriate for broad implementation today. These competencies that have been outlined already could be adapted and amalgamated into a pragmatic time-limited approach that is acceptable to all levels of pre-existing skill and interest [19].
  4. Synchronous and asynchronous telepsychiatry have many similarities. For example, their common goal is to enable a clear and therapeutic exchange of information, while preserving professional boundaries [20]. However, there are also a number of key differences, which may require slightly different skill sets. This is partly because asynchronous interactions are often spontaneous and unstructured, and may occur outside health settings and their associated platforms such as the electronic health record. This generates more potential boundary, legal, and ethical issues, which clinicians will need to actively manage. Clinicians and patients need to be aware of both the advantages and potential pitfalls of these different modes of communication (eg, email, portals, messaging), and successfully navigate any potential overlap between personal and professional life. Social media is another aspect where specific training is critical, especially as younger patients are likely to be influenced by it. Increased digitalization has expanded the boundaries and tools available in medical practice, but specific training has not kept up with increased use of technology. Potential hazards include breaches of confidentiality, privacy, and professional boundaries [44], but these need to be balanced against the potential benefits, such as increased opportunities for professional networking, collaboration, and education and training, and increased patient engagement, education, and health promotion [21,44]. Organizations have developed professional guidelines, standards, and consensus statements regarding responsible physician use of social media and the internet (see Multimedia Appendix 3 for examples), but given the wide variety of guidance documents, in practice it has been difficult for clinicians to absorb the knowledge, competence, and skills required to use social media, apps, and wearables in clinical interactions [20,22]. Novice and more advanced learners alike require competency-based education in this area. Experienced clinicians may be less confident than trainees in digital literacy and may require more training in the benefits and potential pitfalls of different digital media [21], but all aspects of skills will need to be addressed during training to achieve a level of competence to safely blend a range of techniques.

To meet these challenges, training will need to be evidence-based, relevant for the challenges of a post–COVID-19 world, and also engaging for clinicians. Competencies will need to measurable to assess change and there will need to be ongoing evaluation, including feedback from patients. Appetite and interest will vary, and practicing clinicians will already have gained sufficient experience during the pandemic to have progressed beyond the “Novice” stage; therefore, a two-level process aiming for the competency levels of “Competent/Proficient” and “Expert” (for those who wish) would be a helpful model. There is no doubt that developing a telepsychiatry teaching program is warranted, but it will be a challenging process. However, much of the hard work has been completed in developing guidance and a range of competencies. The pandemic has accelerated telepsychiatry into a commonly used, effective, and acceptable route for mental health consultation. Now is the time to complete the translational pathway and allocate dedicated research funding. We need to grasp this impetus and extend skills and competencies into the full range available, so we can offer the very best combination of approaches and treatments to our patients.

Acknowledgments

KS and AC are supported by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Oxford Cognitive Health Clinical Research Facility. AC is also supported by an NIHR Research Professorship (grant RP-2017-08-ST2-006), by the NIHR Oxford and Thames Valley Applied Research Collaboration, and by the NIHR Oxford Health Biomedical Research Centre (grant BRC-1215-20005). The views expressed are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the UK National Health Service, the NIHR, or the UK Department of Health.

Conflicts of Interest

AC has received research and consultancy fees from INCiPiT (Italian Network for Paediatric Trials), CARIPLO Foundation, and Angelini Pharma, outside the submitted work. KS has no conflicts to declare. JT is cofounder of a mental health company called Precision Mental Wellness and Editor-in-Chief of JMIR Mental Health.

Multimedia Appendix 1

Examples of medical education frameworks.

DOCX File , 15 KB

Multimedia Appendix 2

Examples of teaching telehealth.

DOCX File , 25 KB

Multimedia Appendix 3

Examples of guidelines for professionalism, social media, and the internet.

DOCX File , 15 KB

  1. Hollander JE, Carr BG. Virtually Perfect? Telemedicine for Covid-19. N Engl J Med 2020 Apr 30;382(18):1679-1681. [CrossRef] [Medline]
  2. Melcher J, Hays R, Torous J. Digital phenotyping for mental health of college students: a clinical review. Evid Based Ment Health 2020 Nov;23(4):161-166. [CrossRef] [Medline]
  3. Smith K, Ostinelli E, Macdonald O, Cipriani A. COVID-19 and Telepsychiatry: Development of Evidence-Based Guidance for Clinicians. JMIR Ment Health 2020 Aug 28;7(8):e21108 [FREE Full text] [CrossRef] [Medline]
  4. Smith K, Ostinelli E, Cipriani A. Covid-19 and mental health: a transformational opportunity to apply an evidence-based approach to clinical practice and research. Evid Based Ment Health 2020 May;23(2):45-46. [CrossRef] [Medline]
  5. Telepsychiatry toolkit. American Psychiatric Association.   URL: https://www.psychiatry.org/psychiatrists/practice/telepsychiatry/toolkit [accessed 2022-04-29]
  6. Shore JH, Yellowlees P, Caudill R, Johnston B, Turvey C, Mishkind M, et al. Best Practices in Videoconferencing-Based Telemental Health April 2018. Telemed J E Health 2018 Nov;24(11):827-832. [CrossRef] [Medline]
  7. Hilty DM, Ferrer DC, Parish MB, Johnston B, Callahan EJ, Yellowlees PM. The effectiveness of telemental health: a 2013 review. Telemed J E Health 2013 Jun;19(6):444-454 [FREE Full text] [CrossRef] [Medline]
  8. Guinart D, Marcy P, Hauser M, Dwyer M, Kane J. Patient Attitudes Toward Telepsychiatry During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Nationwide, Multisite Survey. JMIR Ment Health 2020 Dec 22;7(12):e24761 [FREE Full text] [CrossRef] [Medline]
  9. Appleton R, Williams J, Vera San Juan N, Needle J, Schlief M, Jordan H, et al. Implementation, Adoption, and Perceptions of Telemental Health During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Systematic Review. J Med Internet Res 2021 Dec 09;23(12):e31746 [FREE Full text] [CrossRef] [Medline]
  10. Predmore ZS, Roth E, Breslau J, Fischer SH, Uscher-Pines L. Assessment of Patient Preferences for Telehealth in Post-COVID-19 Pandemic Health Care. JAMA Netw Open 2021 Dec 01;4(12):e2136405 [FREE Full text] [CrossRef] [Medline]
  11. Preparing the healthcare workforce to deliver the digital future. An independent report on behalf of the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care - February 2019. The Topol Review.   URL: https://topol.hee.nhs.uk/ [accessed 2022-04-29]
  12. Shore JH, Schneck CD, Mishkind MC. Telepsychiatry and the Coronavirus Disease 2019 Pandemic-Current and Future Outcomes of the Rapid Virtualization of Psychiatric Care. JAMA Psychiatry 2020 Dec 01;77(12):1211-1212. [CrossRef] [Medline]
  13. Hong JS, Sheriff R, Smith K, Tomlinson A, Saad F, Smith T, et al. Impact of COVID-19 on telepsychiatry at the service and individual patient level across two UK NHS mental health Trusts. Evid Based Ment Health 2021 Nov;24(4):161-166 [FREE Full text] [CrossRef] [Medline]
  14. Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.   URL: https://www.cdc.gov/phlp/publications/topic/hipaa.html [accessed 2022-04-29]
  15. Wright S, Spaulding R, Henley W. A Multipronged Digital Response to Increased Demand for Telehealth Support and Training During the COVID-19 Pandemic. J Technol Behav Sci 2021 Oct 21:1-8 [FREE Full text] [CrossRef] [Medline]
  16. Golz C, Peter KA, Müller TJ, Mutschler J, Zwakhalen SM, Hahn S. Technostress and Digital Competence Among Health Professionals in Swiss Psychiatric Hospitals: Cross-sectional Study. JMIR Ment Health 2021 Nov 04;8(11):e31408 [FREE Full text] [CrossRef] [Medline]
  17. Hilty DM, Chan S, Torous J, Luo J, Boland RJ. A Telehealth Framework for Mobile Health, Smartphones, and Apps: Competencies, Training, and Faculty Development. J Technol Behav Sci 2019 Apr 15;4(2):106-123. [CrossRef]
  18. Torous J, Jän Myrick K, Rauseo-Ricupero N, Firth J. Digital Mental Health and COVID-19: Using Technology Today to Accelerate the Curve on Access and Quality Tomorrow. JMIR Ment Health 2020 Mar 26;7(3):e18848 [FREE Full text] [CrossRef] [Medline]
  19. Hilty DM, Maheu MM, Drude KP, Hertlein KM. The Need to Implement and Evaluate Telehealth Competency Frameworks to Ensure Quality Care across Behavioral Health Professions. Acad Psychiatry 2018 Dec;42(6):818-824. [CrossRef] [Medline]
  20. Hilty D, Chan S, Torous J, Luo J, Boland R. A Framework for Competencies for the Use of Mobile Technologies in Psychiatry and Medicine: Scoping Review. JMIR Mhealth Uhealth 2020 Feb 21;8(2):e12229 [FREE Full text] [CrossRef] [Medline]
  21. Zalpuri I, Liu HY, Stubbe D, Wrzosek M, Sadhu J, Hilty D. Social Media and Networking Competencies for Psychiatric Education: Skills, Teaching Methods, and Implications. Acad Psychiatry 2018 Dec;42(6):808-817. [CrossRef] [Medline]
  22. Hilty DM, Zalpuri I, Stubbe D, Snowdy CE, Shoemaker EZ, Joshi SV, et al. Social media/networking as part of e-behavioral health and psychiatric education: Competencies, teaching methods, and implications. J Tech Behav Sci 2018;3(4):268-293. [CrossRef]
  23. Torous J, Chan S, Luo J, Boland R, Hilty D. Clinical Informatics in Psychiatric Training: Preparing Today's Trainees for the Already Present Future. Acad Psychiatry 2018 Oct;42(5):694-697 [FREE Full text] [CrossRef] [Medline]
  24. Frank JR, Mungroo R, Ahmad Y, Wang M, De Rossi S, Horsley T. Toward a definition of competency-based education in medicine: a systematic review of published definitions. Med Teach 2010;32(8):631-637. [CrossRef] [Medline]
  25. Iobst WF, Sherbino J, Cate OT, Richardson DL, Dath D, Swing SR, et al. Competency-based medical education in postgraduate medical education. Med Teach 2010;32(8):651-656. [CrossRef] [Medline]
  26. Waseh S, Dicker AP. Telemedicine Training in Undergraduate Medical Education: Mixed-Methods Review. JMIR Med Educ 2019 Apr 08;5(1):e12515. [CrossRef] [Medline]
  27. Edirippulige S, Armfield NR. Education and training to support the use of clinical telehealth: A review of the literature. J Telemed Telecare 2017 Mar;23(2):273-282. [CrossRef] [Medline]
  28. Wamsley M, Cornejo L, Kryzhanovskaya I, Lin B, Sullivan J, Yoder J, et al. Best Practices for Integrating Medical Students Into Telehealth Visits. JMIR Med Educ 2021 Apr 21;7(2):e27877 [FREE Full text] [CrossRef] [Medline]
  29. Jonas CE, Durning SJ, Zebrowski C, Cimino F. An Interdisciplinary, Multi-Institution Telehealth Course for Third-Year Medical Students. Acad Med 2019 Jun;94(6):833-837. [CrossRef] [Medline]
  30. Rienits H, Teuss G, Bonney A. Teaching telehealth consultation skills. Clin Teach 2016 Apr;13(2):119-123. [CrossRef] [Medline]
  31. Poncette A, Glauert DL, Mosch L, Braune K, Balzer F, Back D. Undergraduate Medical Competencies in Digital Health and Curricular Module Development: Mixed Methods Study. J Med Internet Res 2020 Oct 29;22(10):e22161 [FREE Full text] [CrossRef] [Medline]
  32. Abraham HN, Opara IN, Dwaihy RL, Acuff C, Brauer B, Nabaty R, et al. Engaging Third-Year Medical Students on Their Internal Medicine Clerkship in Telehealth During COVID-19. Cureus 2020 Jun 24;12(6):e8791 [FREE Full text] [CrossRef] [Medline]
  33. Flickinger TE, O'Hagan T, Chisolm MS. Developing a Curriculum to Promote Professionalism for Medical Students Using Social Media: Pilot of a Workshop and Blog-Based Intervention. JMIR Med Educ 2015 Dec 01;1(2):e17 [FREE Full text] [CrossRef] [Medline]
  34. Crawford A, Sunderji N, López J, Soklaridis S. Defining competencies for the practice of telepsychiatry through an assessment of resident learning needs. BMC Med Educ 2016 Jan 26;16:28 [FREE Full text] [CrossRef] [Medline]
  35. Zalpuri I, Domakonda M, Wrzosek M, DeJong S. Trainees on Technological Terrain: a Video Vignette-Based Tool to Teach E-Professionalism. Acad Psychiatry 2021 Apr;45(2):224-230. [CrossRef] [Medline]
  36. Afshari M, Witek NP, Galifianakis NB. Education Research: An experiential outpatient teleneurology curriculum for residents. Neurology 2019 Jul 23;93(4):170-175. [CrossRef] [Medline]
  37. Kirkland EB, DuBose-Morris R, Duckett A. Telehealth for the internal medicine resident: A 3-year longitudinal curriculum. J Telemed Telecare 2021 Oct;27(9):599-605. [CrossRef] [Medline]
  38. Vitiello E, Kane M, Hutto A, Hall A. Building for the future: the creation of a residency training track to foster innovation through clinical informatics in psychiatry. J Am Med Inform Assoc 2020 Nov 01;27(11):1747-1751 [FREE Full text] [CrossRef] [Medline]
  39. Wisniewski H, Torous J. Digital navigators to implement smartphone and digital tools in care. Acta Psychiatr Scand 2020 Apr;141(4):350-355 [FREE Full text] [CrossRef] [Medline]
  40. An L, Bacon E, Hawley S, Yang P, Russell D, Huffman S, et al. Relationship Between Coronavirus-Related eHealth Literacy and COVID-19 Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices among US Adults: Web-Based Survey Study. J Med Internet Res 2021 Mar 29;23(3):e25042 [FREE Full text] [CrossRef] [Medline]
  41. Oh SS, Kim K, Kim M, Oh J, Chu SH, Choi J. Measurement of Digital Literacy Among Older Adults: Systematic Review [published correction appears in J Med Internet Res. 2021 Jun 15;23(6):e30828]. J Med Internet Res 2021 Feb 3;23(2):e26145 [FREE Full text] [CrossRef] [Medline]
  42. Hoffman L, Wisniewski H, Hays R, Henson P, Vaidyam A, Hendel V, et al. Digital Opportunities for Outcomes in Recovery Services (DOORS): A Pragmatic Hands-On Group Approach Toward Increasing Digital Health and Smartphone Competencies, Autonomy, Relatedness, and Alliance for Those With Serious Mental Illness. J Psychiatr Pract 2020 Mar;26(2):80-88 [FREE Full text] [CrossRef] [Medline]
  43. Drazich B, Nyikadzino Y, Gleason K. A Program to Improve Digital Access and Literacy Among Community Stakeholders: Cohort Study. JMIR Form Res 2021 Nov 10;5(11):e30605 [FREE Full text] [CrossRef] [Medline]
  44. Vukušić Rukavina T, Viskić J, Machala Poplašen L, Relić D, Marelić M, Jokic D, et al. Dangers and Benefits of Social Media on E-Professionalism of Health Care Professionals: Scoping Review. J Med Internet Res 2021 Nov 17;23(11):e25770 [FREE Full text] [CrossRef] [Medline]

Edited by T Leung; This is a non–peer-reviewed article. submitted 12.03.22; accepted 29.03.22; published 14.10.22

Copyright

©Katharine Smith, John Torous, Andrea Cipriani. Originally published in JMIR Mental Health (https://mental.jmir.org), 14.10.2022.

This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work, first published in JMIR Mental Health, is properly cited. The complete bibliographic information, a link to the original publication on https://mental.jmir.org/, as well as this copyright and license information must be included.