Evidence-Based Proposal and Annotated Bibliography on Technology in Nursing

Telehealth for Mental Health

Mental illness is a behavioral, emotional, or mental disorder that can affect an individual mildly, moderately, or severely. Telehealth for mental health services has been helpful to my family since my husband, and I adopted a special needs child in 2018. Mental illness affects nearly 1 in five adults, according to the National Institute of Mental Health. (Mental Illness, 2022) Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many providers have adopted telehealth services, including using them for mental health services. The use of telehealth has proven to be a viable option and has a positive impact on treatment options. Using the CINAHL complete database within the Capella Library, I used the broad search term of telehealth and then narrowed my search down further using mental health. With these terms, my search provided over 4,000 results, so I limited the results to within five years and peer-reviewed.

Annotated Bibliography

Bulkes, N. Z., Davis, K., Kay, B., & Riemann, B. C. (2022). Comparing the efficacy of telehealth to in-person mental health care in intensive-treatment-seeking adults. Journal of Psychiatric Research, 145, 347–352. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpsychires.2021.11.003

The authors completed a survey comparing the clinical outcomes of patients who received in-person treatment during the COVID-19 pandemic and others who received telehealth treatment. The study showed no significant difference between the in-person and telehealth patients in relation to symptom reduction but increased significance of quality of life with the telehealth patients. Healthcare providers for mental health have been looking into telehealth treatment options for quite some time. Providers have been using telehealth to help supplement in-person treatment for therapy, medication management, and evaluations, but only on an as-needed basis. The study completed by the authors focused on how treatment delivery affects patient outcomes and did the delivery module finds therapeutic responses. Staff training was optimized for in-person and telehealth groups to ensure a high level of similarity. Two assessments were utilized on admission, weekly/biweekly, and upon discharge for all patients. In particular, the study found no significant differences in the assessment scores. However, both groups of patients reported an improvement in quality of life. The study’s main limitations included the patients not being randomized due to the pandemic. There was also a lack of a structured diagnostic assessment at admission. Therefore, the study showed positive outcomes for telehealth being a viable alternative to in-person treatment.

Heravian, A., & Chang, B. P. (2018). Mental health and telemedicine in the acute care setting: Applications of telepsychiatry in the ed. The American Journal of Emergency Medicine, 36(6), 1118–1119. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajem.2017.10.053

The authors suggest that using telehealth for mental health care in the emergency room will improve patient care and outcomes. Caring for patients in the emergency room who present with mental health complaints can be challenging. Geographic restrictions may limit psychiatric consults and referrals and require extensive outpatient and social service consults that may require prolonged emergency room visits or unnecessary admissions. The authors state that the success of telehealth for mental health has shown overall patient satisfaction and is equivalent to traditional forms of psychiatric care. In addition, some patients with severe anxiety or physical limitations prefer telehealth to in-person care. Challenges to telehealth include the financial costs of initiating and maintaining the program. Finally, telehealth for emergency room mental health concerns is promising for decreasing overcrowding, which causes poor patient satisfaction and increases medical errors. Further research is needed to understand the potential role of telehealth in the emergency room to help optimize patient care and improve the well-being of patients with mental health concerns. This article helps understand how telehealth can be used to decrease overcrowding in emergency rooms but doesn’t address any of the costs associated with the startup and continuation of these services.

Langarizadeh, M., Tabatabaei, M., Tavakol, K., Naghipour, M., & Moghbeli, F. (2017).

Telemental health care, an effective alternative to conventional mental care: A systematic review. Acta Informatica Medica, 25(4), 240. https://doi.org/10.5455/aim.2017.25.240- 246

The authors researched using different articles to examine the advantages and challenges of using telehealth for mental health services. Telehealth services were found to be provided efficiently and are also cost-effective in managing mental health. Remote clinical locations can use telehealth for mental health services. The authors note that their research findings raise awareness of the efficacy of using telehealth for mental health services. They can serve as a helpful guide for providers who want to upgrade their conventional mental health services. In particular, the authors found that using telehealth for mental services reduces the cost of care and improves patient satisfaction. Moreover, the significant advances in using telehealth for mental health included reduced costs, interactive sessions between clinicians and clients, reduced costs, and improved access. Finally, telehealth for mental health can be used in nations where the services aren’t available locally or in underdeveloped communities. Telehealth-related challenges include subscribing to internet services, establishing equipment and upgrades, necessary skills for clinicians and patients, and evaluating the services. Therefore, facilities should research which program will be utilized at each facility and provide ample training. This article helps us understand the positive outcomes of using telehealth for mental health services but doesn’t address the costs associated with the services.

Molfenter, T., Heitkamp, T., Murphy, A. A., Tapscott, S., Behlman, S., & Cody, O. J. (2021). Use of telehealth in mental health (MH) services during and after covid-19. Community Mental Health Journal, 57(7), 1244–1251. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10597-021-00861-2

The authors completed a study of the technologies for mental health services, the acceptance of the services, and the intention of the providers to continue using the services during the post-COVID-19 pandemic. The authors found that the use of video was more desirable than telephone services. The use of telehealth for mental health services is not new and was started as early as the 1960s, founded primarily in underserved counties, rural states, and by clinicians in publicly owned facilities. During the pandemic, 75% of providers had gone to remote services. In particular, telehealth increases access to care, increases consumer demand, decreases no-shows, the ability to view the patient in their environment, and is convenient for both providers and patients. Some disadvantages include problems treating specific populations, lack of internet, difficulty including multi-disciplinary teams, and negative impact on the therapeutic relationship. Moreover, the study concluded that different services were provided via video conferencing or telephone. Finally, telephone services proved easier to use, more accessible to patients, and more affordable. Therefore, the survey findings support the use of telehealth for mental health services. Still, the results don’t give ideas for how to treat specific populations or help those without internet services.

Conclusion

Mental health telehealth services were successful during the COVID-19 pandemic, and results found that telehealth was just as effective as in-person care for treatment. Telephone services were more cost-effective than video services and more accessible for patients. Using a diverse mix of services, including in-person, telephone, and video, may increase patient choice in seeking and receiving mental health services. Insurance reimbursement guidelines must be reviewed to support providers in these efforts. Financial investment in equipment and staff training can be costly, but the studies found that in 2020, 89% of patients were using telehealth for mental health therapy. (Molfenter et al., 2021) Overall, study results supported telehealth for mental health as being as effective as in-person care and a viable alternative to in-person treatment.

References

Langarizadeh, M., Tabatabaei, M., Tavakol, K., Naghipour, M., & Moghbeli, F. (2017). Telemental health care, an effective alternative to conventional mental care: A systematic review. Acta Informatica Medica, 25(4), 240. https://doi.org/10.5455/aim.2017.25.240- 246

Mental Illness. (2022, January 1). National institute of mental health. Retrieved November 20, 2022, from https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/mental-illness

Molfenter, T., Heitkamp, T., Murphy, A. A., Tapscott, S., Behlman, S., & Cody, O. J. (2021). Use of telehealth in mental health (mh) services during and after covid-19. Community Mental Health Journal, 57(7), 1244–1251. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10597-021-00861-2

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Question

Write a 4–6 page annotated bibliography where you identify peer-reviewed publications that promote the use of a selected technology to enhance quality and safety standards in nursing.

Evidence-Based Proposal and Annotated Bibliography on Technology in Nursing

Preparation

Before you begin to develop the assessment, you are encouraged to complete the Annotated Bibliography Formative Assessment. Completing this activity will help you succeed with the assessment and count towards course engagement.

Evidence-Based Proposal and Annotated Bibliography on Technology in Nursing