TY - JOUR
T1 - Online consultations in mental healthcare during the COVID-19 outbreak
T2 - An international survey study on professionals' motivations and perceived barriers
AU - De Witte, Nele A.J.
AU - Carlbring, Per
AU - Etzelmueller, Anne
AU - Nordgreen, Tine
AU - Karekla, Maria
AU - Haddouk, Lise
AU - Belmont, Angélique
AU - Øverland, Svein
AU - Abi-Habib, Rudy
AU - Bernaerts, Sylvie
AU - Brugnera, Agostino
AU - Compare, Angelo
AU - Duque, Aranzazu
AU - Ebert, David Daniel
AU - Eimontas, Jonas
AU - Kassianos, Angelos P.
AU - Salgado, João
AU - Schwerdtfeger, Andreas
AU - Tohme, Pia
AU - Van Assche, Eva
AU - Van Daele, Tom
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2021
PY - 2021/9
Y1 - 2021/9
N2 - Introduction: While the general uptake of e-mental health interventions remained low over the past years, physical distancing and lockdown measures relating to the COVID-19 pandemic created a need and demand for online consultations in only a matter of weeks. Objective: This study investigates the uptake of online consultations provided by mental health professionals during lockdown measures in the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in the participating countries, with a specific focus on professionals' motivations and perceived barriers regarding online consultations. Methods: An online survey on the use of online consultations was set up in March 2020. The Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) guided the deductive qualitative analysis of the results. Results: In total, 2082 mental health professionals from Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, France, Germany, Italy, Lebanon, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, and Sweden were included. The results showed a high uptake of online consultations during the COVID-19 pandemic but limited previous training on this topic undergone by mental health professionals. Most professionals reported positive experiences with online consultations, but concerns about the performance of online consultations in a mental health context (e.g., in terms of relational aspects) and practical considerations (e.g., relating to privacy and security of software) appear to be major barriers that hinder implementation. Conclusions: This study provides an overview of the mental health professionals' actual needs and concerns regarding the use of online consultations in order to highlight areas of possible intervention and allow the implementation of necessary governmental, educational, and instrumental support so that online consultations can become a feasible and stable option in mental healthcare.
AB - Introduction: While the general uptake of e-mental health interventions remained low over the past years, physical distancing and lockdown measures relating to the COVID-19 pandemic created a need and demand for online consultations in only a matter of weeks. Objective: This study investigates the uptake of online consultations provided by mental health professionals during lockdown measures in the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in the participating countries, with a specific focus on professionals' motivations and perceived barriers regarding online consultations. Methods: An online survey on the use of online consultations was set up in March 2020. The Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) guided the deductive qualitative analysis of the results. Results: In total, 2082 mental health professionals from Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, France, Germany, Italy, Lebanon, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, and Sweden were included. The results showed a high uptake of online consultations during the COVID-19 pandemic but limited previous training on this topic undergone by mental health professionals. Most professionals reported positive experiences with online consultations, but concerns about the performance of online consultations in a mental health context (e.g., in terms of relational aspects) and practical considerations (e.g., relating to privacy and security of software) appear to be major barriers that hinder implementation. Conclusions: This study provides an overview of the mental health professionals' actual needs and concerns regarding the use of online consultations in order to highlight areas of possible intervention and allow the implementation of necessary governmental, educational, and instrumental support so that online consultations can become a feasible and stable option in mental healthcare.
KW - COVID-19
KW - Digital interventions
KW - Implementation
KW - Online consultations
KW - Telepsychology
KW - e-Mental health
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85107056982&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.invent.2021.100405
DO - 10.1016/j.invent.2021.100405
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85107056982
SN - 2214-7829
VL - 25
JO - Internet Interventions
JF - Internet Interventions
M1 - 100405
ER -