Current telepsychiatry practice in India - An online survey of psychiatrists

CONTEXT: Telemedicine Practice Guidelines and Telepsychiatry Operational Guidelines released in 2020 have provided legal backing for telepsychiatry practice. AIMS: To understand the current telepsychiatry practices in India. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: An online survey was conducted after ethics approval by the IPS Ethics Review Board. All psychiatrists, who are members of the Indian Psychiatric Society and whose email address was available with the society, were sent the survey link by email. METHODS AND MATERIAL: Information about existing telepsychiatry consultation practices in India was collected between June and July 2020. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED: Frequency, percentages, mean, and standard deviation were calculated. RESULTS: 340 responses were analyzed. Nearly three-fourths of the responders used smartphones (n = 260, 76.47%) for audio consultations (n = 196, 57.65%). Among those who were using a dedicated software (n = 36), one-third used the Zoom software (n = 12, 33.33%). Nearly three-fourths (n = 218, 73.4%) provided prescriptions with their registration number on a letterhead in the form of an email or text message. Two-thirds of the responders (n = 228, 67.06%) felt that in-person consultation is better. Many preferred a combination of voice, video, and text including emails (n = 134, 42.01%). CONCLUSIONS: This online survey showed that the use of technology has caught up with the practicing psychiatrists. Many are practicing telepsychiatry either formally or informally in India and are comfortable and satisfied with the telepractice.