ArticlePsychiatric services (Washington, D.C.)2020
Suddenly Becoming a "Virtual Doctor": Experiences of Psychiatrists Transitioning to Telemedicine During the COVID-19 Pandemic.
Article in Psychiatric services (Washington, D.C.), 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 98 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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Who cites it
98 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 191 citations in OpenAlex.
- Modality and terminology changes for behavioral health service delivery during the COVID-19 pandemic: a systematic review.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2023Pooled it
- Patient and provider perspectives of the implementation of remote consultations for community-dwelling people with mental health conditions: A systematic mixed studies review.Journal of psychiatric research · 2022Pooled it
- Implementation, Adoption, and Perceptions of Telemental Health During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Systematic Review.Journal of medical Internet research · 2021Pooled it
- The Development of Telemedicine and eHealth in Surgery during the SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021Pooled it
- Clinician Experiences With Tele-Emergency Care: Qualitative Study.Journal of medical Internet research · 2026Article
- Telepsychiatry in child and adolescent mental healthcare: clinicians' perspectives on lessons learned during the COVID-19 pandemic.European child & adolescent psychiatry · 2026Article
- Adherence to Remote Prescribing Principles by Medical and Non-Medical Prescribers; a Scoping Review.Journal of advanced nursing · 2026Article
- Mental Health Professionals' Perceptions of Benefits and Disadvantages of Telehealth: International Mixed Methods Study.Journal of medical Internet research · 2026Article
- The Technology Use Survey: An Actionable Digital Literacy Assessment that Matches Clients to Training Resources.Community mental health journal · 2026Article
- Implementing incentives in family medicine for opioid use disorder treatment: a qualitative inquiry on provider and patient preferences for a low magnitude reward program compatible with buprenorphine treatment.Addiction science & clinical practice · 2025Article
- Coping strategies and psychological distress in postoperative recovery: A repeated-measures study in women undergoing breast-conserving surgery.Asia-Pacific journal of oncology nursing · 2025Article
- Piloting Digital Navigators to Promote Acceptance and Engagement With Digital Mental Health Apps in German Outpatient Care: Protocol for a Multicenter, Single-Group, Observational, Mixed Methods Interventional Study (DigiNavi).JMIR research protocols · 2025Article
- Obstetricians' experiences with remote monitoring programs for hypertensive disorders.AJOG global reports · 2025Article
- Viewpoints of Healthcare Professionals on Care Delivery Within the Frames of Old-Age Mental Telehealth Services Operating in Low-Resource Settings.Brain sciences · 2025Article
- The Impact of COVID-19 on the Division of Household Labor Among Women Physicians and Advanced Practice Providers.Journal of general internal medicine · 2025Article
- Implementing contingency management in family medicine: A qualitative inquiry on provider and patient preferences for a low magnitude reward program compatible with buprenorphine treatment.Research square · 2025Article
- Telemedicine as an Approach to the Mental Health of Healthcare Workers in Angola.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2025Article
- Exploring the Normalisation of Telepsychiatry Practice Among Private Psychiatrists in Australia: A Convergent Mixed Methods Study.International journal of telemedicine and applications · 2025Article
- Challenges and Facilitators in Implementing Remote Patient Monitoring Programs in Primary Care.Journal of general internal medicine · 2024Article
- Factors critical for the successful delivery of telehealth to rural populations: a descriptive qualitative study.BMC health services research · 2024Article
38 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors at 4 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
objectiveIn response to the COVID-19 pandemic, many psychiatrists have rapidly transitioned to telemedicine. This qualitative study sought to understand how this dramatic change in delivery has affected mental health care, including modes of telemedicine psychiatrists used, barriers encountered, and future plans. The aim was to inform the ongoing COVID-19 response and pass on lessons learned to psychiatrists who are starting to offer telemedicine.
methodsFrom March 31 to April 9, 2020, semistructured interviews were conducted with 20 outpatient psychiatrists practicing in five U.S. states with significant early COVID-19 activity. Inductive and deductive approaches were used to develop interview summaries, and a matrix analysis was conducted to identify and refine themes.
resultsAt the time of the interviews, all 20 psychiatrists had been using telemedicine for 2-4 weeks. Telemedicine encompassed video visits, phone visits, or both. Although many continued to prefer in-person care and planned to return to it after the pandemic, psychiatrists largely perceived the transition positively. However, several noted challenges affecting the quality of provider-patient interactions, such as decreased clinical data for assessment, diminished patient privacy, and increased distractions in the patient's home setting. Several psychiatrists noted that their disadvantaged patients lacked reliable access to a smartphone, computer, or the Internet. Participants identified several strategies that helped them improve telemedicine visit quality.
conclusionsThe COVID-19 pandemic has driven a dramatic shift in how psychiatrists deliver care. Findings highlight that although psychiatrists expressed some concerns about the quality of these encounters, the transition has been largely positive for both patients and physicians.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.