Clinicians’ and Users’ Views and Experiences of a Tele-Mental Health Service Implemented Alongside the Public Mental Health System during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Anton Isaacs (), Eleanor K. L. Mitchell, Keith Sutton, Michael Naughton, Rochelle Hine, Shane Bullock, Denise Azar and Darryl Maybery
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Anton Isaacs: School of Rural Health, Monash University, Warragul, VIC 3820, Australia
Eleanor K. L. Mitchell: School of Rural Health, Monash University, Warragul, VIC 3820, Australia
Keith Sutton: School of Rural Health, Monash University, Warragul, VIC 3820, Australia
Michael Naughton: School of Rural Health, Monash University, Warragul, VIC 3820, Australia
Rochelle Hine: School of Rural Health, Monash University, Warragul, VIC 3820, Australia
Shane Bullock: School of Rural Health, Monash University, Warragul, VIC 3820, Australia
Denise Azar: School of Rural Health, Monash University, Warragul, VIC 3820, Australia
Darryl Maybery: School of Rural Health, Monash University, Warragul, VIC 3820, Australia

IJERPH, 2023, vol. 20, issue 10, 1-13

Abstract: A tele-mental health model called Head to Health was implemented in the state of Victoria, Australia to address the crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. It was a free centralized intake service that adopted a targeted approach with several novel elements, such as stepped care and telehealth. This study examines the views and experiences of clinicians and service users of the tele-mental health service in the Gippsland region of Victoria during the COVID-19 pandemic. Data from clinicians were obtained via an online 10-item open-ended survey instrument and from service users through semi-structured interviews. Data were obtained from 66 participants, including 47 clinician surveys and 19 service user interviews. Six categories emerged from the data. They were: ‘Conditions where use of tele-mental health is appropriate’, ‘Conditions where tele-mental health may not be useful’, ‘Advantages of tele-mental health’, ‘Challenges in using tele-mental health’, ‘Client outcomes with tele-mental health’, and ‘Recommendations for future use’. This is one of a few studies where clinicians’ and service users’ views and experiences have been explored together to provide a nuanced understanding of perspectives on the efficacy of tele-mental health when it was implemented alongside public mental health services.

Keywords: tele-mental health; telemedicine; COVID-19; mental health services; telehealth; referral and consultation; treatment; qualitative research (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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