Patient satisfaction with use of telepsychiatry and perception of mental stigma in psychiatric clinic

Abstract

Patient satisfaction is an important and commonly used indicator for measuring the quality of health care. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the health systems quickly adjust and discover ways to provide their traditional offline services utilizing online resources. Telepsychiatry allows psychiatrists to treat more patients in distant locations. Where both the psychiatrists and their patients were able to connect, run through psycho diagnostics, and even recommend (pharmacology and psychotherapy) treatment. Aim: We aimed to assess patient level of satisfaction with use of telepsychiatry and their perceived mental stigma in psychiatric clinic. Design: This study followed descriptive correlational design. Setting: carried out at private health care center and private clinic that provide care through telepsychiatry. Tools: The data of this study was collected using the following two tools: Tool I: Standardized Stigma Scale, Tool II: Patient Satisfaction Questionnaire Short Form (PSQ-18). Result: The main results revealed that more than half of studied patients were satisfied with tele psychiatry, most of them had great stigma level, also, there was not a statistically significant correlation between stigma and satisfaction with tele psychiatry. Conclusion: the majority of the studied patients were satisfied with the accessibility of using telepsychiatry and there was no statistically significant correlation between patients’ satisfaction with using tele psychiatry and their perception of mental stigma. Recommendations: we offered recommendations for health IT policy makers, developers, and researchers to sustain the continuity of telehealth activities beyond the COVID-19 pandemic and enable the wide adoption and use of telehealth services.