Asynchronous telepsychiatry: A systematic review

Abstract

Introduction: Healthcare providers and systems increasingly utilize telehealth modalities to address barriers and challenges for healthcare delivery. Specialties, such as psychiatry, are testing asynchronous methods for telehealth delivery. The National Quality Forum (NQF) developed a framework with which to assess the quality of telemedicine according to measures and measure concepts within four domains. This review assesses existing asynchronous telepsychiatry (ATP) research according to the telehealth domains established by NQF, evaluates the prevalence and quality of ATP, and identifies the areas in which more research must be conducted.

Methods: A systematic review of ATP methods was conducted according to PRISMA guidelines. Studies were categorized according to NQF telehealth domains and subdomains to further examine study outcomes.

Results: The review initially identified 205 studies that were narrowed down to a final sample of 11 articles. Of the final articles, most studies addressed the effectiveness of ATP or users' experience with ATP.

Discussion: The initial investigation of published ATP literature suggests promising results. ATP studies suggest that these services improve access to care, can be feasibly implemented by the clinical team, maintain patient/family satisfaction, and potentially reduce the cost of services. The limited sample of published literature necessitates further study of the practice in order to assess ATP according to the quality domains identified by NQF, especially access to care for patients and caregivers, the financial costs incurred by both providers and patients, and barriers to uptake.

Keywords: Telepsychiatry; asynchronous; quality; systematic review; telemedicine.