Telemedicine Prescribing by US Mental Health Care Providers: National Cross-Sectional Survey.

Background: In the postpandemic era, telemedicine continues to enable mental health care access for many people, especially persons living in areas with mental health care provider shortages. However, as lawmakers consider long-term telemedicine policy decisions, some question the safety and appropriateness of prescribing via telemedicine, and whether there should be requirements for in-person evaluation, especially for controlled substances.

Objective: Our objective was to assess US telemental health care provider perceptions of comfort and perceived safety in prescribing medications, including controlled substances, via telemedicine.

Regulation and Compliance in Telemedicine: Viewpoint.

The US COVID-19 Public Health Emergency ended on May 11, 2023. Lawmakers and regulators extended some flexibilities while they deliberate effective long-term telemedicine policy. Here, we discuss critical challenges in telemedicine compliance and regulation grounded in scholarly literature and current events.

Patient Preferences for Direct-to-Consumer Telemedicine Services: Replication and Extension of a Nationwide Survey.

Background: A 2017 survey of patient perspectives showed overall willingness and comfort to use telemedicine, but low actual use. Given recent growth and widespread exposure of patients to telemedicine, patient preferences are likely to have changed.

Objective: This study aimed to (1) identify demographic trends in patient preferences and experiences; (2) measure ease of use and satisfaction of telemedicine; and (3) measure changes in telemedicine use, willingness, and comfort since 2017.

Therapist perspectives on telehealth-based virtual reality exposure therapy.

Virtual reality (VR) can enhance mental health care. In particular, the effectiveness of VR-based exposure therapy (VRET) has been well-demonstrated for treatment of anxiety disorders. However, most applications of VRET remain localized to clinic spaces.

Mental health providers are inexperienced but interested in telehealth-based virtual reality therapy: survey study.

Virtual reality (VR) is an emerging technology that can enhance experiences and outcomes in mental healthcare. However, mental health therapists have been slow to adopt VR into practice. Implementation of telehealth-based VR therapy (tele-VR) could catalyze adoption and innovation in mental healthcare.

Telemedicine appointments are more likely to be completed than in-person healthcare appointments: a retrospective cohort study.

Objectives: Missed appointments can lead to treatment delays and adverse outcomes. Telemedicine may improve appointment completion because it addresses barriers to in-person visits, such as childcare and transportation. This study compared appointment completion for appointments using telemedicine versus in-person care in a large cohort of patients at an urban academic health sciences center.

User Preferences and Needs for Health Data Collection Using Research Electronic Data Capture: Survey Study.

Background: Self-administered web-based questionnaires are widely used to collect health data from patients and clinical research participants. REDCap (Research Electronic Data Capture; Vanderbilt University) is a global, secure web application for building and managing electronic data capture. Unfortunately, stakeholder needs and preferences of electronic data collection via REDCap have rarely been studied.

User experience of a family health history chatbot: A quantitative analysis.

Objective: Family health history (FHx) is an important tool in assessing one's risk towards specific health conditions. However, user experience of FHx collection tools is rarely studied. ItRunsInMyFamily.

Travel Distance Between Participants in US Telemedicine Sessions With Estimates of Emissions Savings: Observational Study.

Background: Digital health and telemedicine are potentially important strategies to decrease health care's environmental impact and contribution to climate change by reducing transportation-related air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. However, we currently lack robust national estimates of emissions savings attributable to telemedicine.

Objective: This study aimed to (1) determine the travel distance between participants in US telemedicine sessions and (2) estimate the net reduction in carbon dioxide (CO) emissions attributable to telemedicine in the United States, based on national observational data describing the geographical characteristics of telemedicine session participants.

Will the United States pass on telemedicine progress?

Background: During the COVID-19 pandemic, federal and state health policies allowed temporary flexibilities for Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries, leading to a sharp increase in telemedicine use. However, many of the flexibilities that enabled innovation and growth in telemedicine continue temporarily since the federal emergency declaration ended in May 2023, and the United States has not made permanent decisions about telemedicine policy. Analysts have raised concerns about increased spending, program integrity, safety, and equity, and recommend strengthening oversight.

Narrative review of telemedicine applications in decentralized research.

Telemedicine enables critical human communication and interaction between researchers and participants in decentralized research studies. There is a need to better understand the overall scope of telemedicine applications in clinical research as the basis for further research. This narrative, nonsystematic review of the literature sought to review and discuss applications of telemedicine, in the form of synchronous videoconferencing, in clinical research.

Consensus Guidelines for Teledermatology: Scoping Review.

Background: Consensus guidelines and recommendations play an important role in fostering quality, safety, and best practices, as they represent an expert interpretation of the biomedical literature and its application to practice. However, it is unclear whether the recent collective experience of implementing telemedicine and the concurrent growth in the evidence base for teledermatology have resulted in more robust guidance.

Objective: The objective of this review was to describe the extent and nature of currently available guidance, defined as consensus guidelines and recommendations available for telemedicine in dermatology, with guidance defined as consensus or evidence-based guidelines, protocols, or recommendations.

Therapist perspectives on telehealth-based virtual reality exposure therapy.

Virtual reality (VR) can enhance mental health care. In particular, the effectiveness of VR-based exposure therapy (VRET) has been well-demonstrated for treatment of anxiety disorders. However, most applications of VRET remain localized to clinic spaces.

Telemedicine from Home or the Office: Perceptions of Mental Health Providers.

The COVID-19 pandemic led to a rapid transition to telemedicine for mental health care and redefined many providers' work environments and practices. The purpose of the study was to investigate the impact of work location on telemental health (TMH) benefits, disruptions, and concerns to further understand the rapid implementation of telemedicine for mental health treatment. A sample of 175 practicing TMH providers completed an online survey between July and August 2020.

Older adults' experience with virtual conversational agents for health data collection.

Introduction: Virtual conversational agents (i.e., chatbots) are an intuitive form of data collection.

Providers' Perspectives on Telemental Health Usage After the COVID-19 Pandemic: Retrospective Analysis.

Background: Mental health care pivoted to telemedicine during the COVID-19 pandemic, and there is uncertainty around the sustainability of this rapid shift.

Objective: This study examined how intentions to continue using telemedicine after the COVID-19 pandemic are influenced by provider perceptions of usefulness, ease of use, and professional social influence, facilitating organizational conditions.

Methods: We conducted a web-based, cross-sectional survey of 369 telemental health providers between February and March 2021.

Virtual conversational agents versus online forms: Patient experience and preferences for health data collection.

Objective: Virtual conversational agents, or chatbots, have emerged as a novel approach to health data collection. However, research on patient perceptions of chatbots in comparison to traditional online forms is sparse. This study aimed to compare and assess the experience of completing a health assessment using a chatbot vs.

Perceptions of Telemental Health Care Delivery During COVID-19: A Cross-Sectional Study With Providers, February-March 2021.

The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated adoption of telemental health (TMH). Providers with limited TMH experience faced challenges during the rapid switch to remote patient care. We investigated TMH providers' perceptions about remote care one year into the pandemic according to providers adopted telemedicine (i.

The Symbiosis of Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy and Telemental Health: A Review.

Phobias and related anxiety are common and costly mental health disorders. Experts anticipate the prevalence of phobias will increase due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Exposure therapies have been established as effective and reliable treatments for anxiety, including recent innovations in virtual reality-based exposure therapy (VRET).

Extended Reality for Enhanced Telehealth During and Beyond COVID-19: Viewpoint.

The COVID-19 pandemic caused widespread challenges and revealed vulnerabilities across global health care systems. In response, many health care providers turned to telehealth solutions, which have been widely embraced and are likely to become standard for modern care. Immersive extended reality (XR) technologies have the potential to enhance telehealth with greater acceptability, engagement, and presence.

A pilot comparison of medical records sensitivity perspectives of patients with behavioral health conditions and healthcare providers.

This pilot study compares medical record data sensitivity (e.g., depression is sensitive) and categorization perspective (e.

Physician Workflow in Two Distinctive Emergency Departments: An Observational Study.

Objectives: We characterize physician workflow in two distinctive emergency departments (ED). Physician practices mediated by electronic health records (EHR) are explored within the context of organizational complexity for the delivery of care.

Methods: Two urban clinical sites, including an academic teaching ED, were selected.

Pilot evaluation of sensitive data segmentation technology for privacy.

Background: Consent2Share (C2S) is an open source software created by the Office of the National Coordinator Data Segmentation for Privacy initiative to support electronic health record (EHR) granular segmentation. To date, there are no published formal evaluations of Consent2Share.

Method: Structured data (e.

Mental health professional perspectives on health data sharing: Mixed methods study.

This study explores behavioral health professionals' perceptions of granular data. Semi-structured in-person interviews of 20 health professionals were conducted at two different sites. Qualitative and quantitative analysis was performed.

State of the art and a mixed-method personalized approach to assess patient perceptions on medical record sharing and sensitivity.

Objective: Sensitive health information possesses risks, such as stigma and discrimination, when disclosed. Few studies have used a patient's own electronic health records (EHRs) to explore what types of information are considered sensitive andhow such perceptions affect data sharing preferences. After a systematic literature review, we designed and piloted a mixed-method approach that employs an individual's own records to assess content sensitivity and preferences for granular data sharing for care and research.