Telepsychiatry: knowledge, effectiveness, and willingness; assessments of psychiatrists in Saudi Arabia.

Objectives: To assess psychiatrists' knowledge and perception regarding telepsychiatry and evaluate their willingness to adopt telepsychiatry clinical practice in Saudi Arabia.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among psychiatrists working in Saudi Arabia from November 2020 through May 2021. A self-administered questionnaire comprising socio-demographic data, factors related to knowledge, perception, willingness, barriers, and the effectiveness of telepsychiatry, was distributed via. online platform. Data were tabulated and cleaned in MS Excel, and all statistical analyses were performed using SPSS v26.

Results: There were 328 psychiatrists enrolled in the group with an average age of 25-35 years (48.8%). The group comprised mainly Saudis (83.5%); male participants outnumbered females (70.4% to 29.6%). Overall, the psychiatrists' telepsychiatry knowledge level was poor (51.8%), while (48.2%) of the respondents showed good knowledge. However, nearly all respondents exhibited good perception (80.8%), with only 19.2% classified as poor. In addition, older individuals, consultants, clinicians with 11-15 years of experience, clinicians interacting with patients via email, and those who frequently received patient questions regarding online communication indicated increased knowledge.

Conclusion: Although perception was positive regarding telepsychiatry, psychiatrists' knowledge on the subject was deemed insufficient. Psychiatrists' knowledge depended on their age, position, years of experience, frequent interaction with patients through an online platform, and clients that provided their online contact details.