Mental Health Appointments in the Era of COVID-19: Experiences of Patients and Providers

Background: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic brought an unprecedented shift in health care toward telepsychiatry. This worldwide phenomenon was necessary to meet community health needs while prioritizing patient and provider safety. This study explored the impact of changes in delivery of mental health care services during the pandemic on patient and provider satisfaction with care. Methods: Providers and patients at an academic outpatient psychiatric clinic completed an electronic, cross-sectional, anonymous survey. Items probed perceived convenience and comfort with in-person and telehealth visits, COVID-19–related depression and anxiety, and visit modality preferences. Results: The response rate was 80.0% for providers and 21.0% for patients. Providers found telehealth more convenient than in-person visits during the pandemic, t(11)=1.66, P=0.024. Patients reported no differences in convenience (P=0.497) or comfort (P=0.535) ratings. As the pandemic continues, 83.3% of providers and 50.0% of patients indicated they would prefer telehealth visits. Only 16.7% of providers and 25.0% of patients would prefer telehealth visits continue after the pandemic. Preferred appointment type during the pandemic was not significantly correlated with pandemic-related anxiety or depression. Conclusion: Providers showed a strong preference for telehealth visits during the pandemic, whereas patients felt equal convenience and comfort with care in both telehealth and in-person visits. Fewer participants preferred to use the telehealth modality after the pandemic ends. Higher COVID-19–related depression or anxiety did not impact preference toward visit type. These results suggest that telepsychiatry is an acceptable, although not always preferred, modality for psychiatric care during the global pandemic.