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Review
. 2022 Feb 4;9(1):e30359.
doi: 10.2196/30359.

Opportunities and Challenges for Professionals in Psychiatry and Mental Health Care Using Digital Technologies During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Systematic Review

Hélène Kane  1 , Jade Gourret Baumgart  1 , Wissam El-Hage  2   3 , Jocelyn Deloyer  4 , Christine Maes  4 , Marie-Clotilde Lebas  5 , Donatella Marazziti  6   7 , Johannes Thome  8 , Laurence Fond-Harmant  9   10 , Frédéric Denis  1
Affiliations
Review

Opportunities and Challenges for Professionals in Psychiatry and Mental Health Care Using Digital Technologies During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Systematic Review

Hélène Kane et al. JMIR Hum Factors. .

Abstract

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has required psychiatric and mental health professionals to change their practices to reduce the risk of transmission of SARS-CoV-2, in particular by favoring remote monitoring and assessment via digital technologies.

Objective: As part of a research project that was cofunded by the French National Research Agency (ARN) and the Centre-Val de Loire Region, the aim of this systematic literature review was to investigate how such uses of digital technologies have been developing.

Methods: This systematic review was conducted following the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines. The search was carried out in the MEDLINE (ie, PubMed) and Cairn databases, as well as in a platform specializing in mental health, Ascodocpsy. The search yielded 558 results for the year 2020. After applying inclusion and exclusion criteria, first on titles and abstracts and then on full texts, 61 articles were included.

Results: The analysis of the literature revealed a heterogeneous integration of digital technologies, not only depending on countries, contexts, and local regulations, but also depending on the modalities of care. Notwithstanding these variations, the use of videoconferencing has developed significantly, affecting working conditions and therapeutic relationships. For many psychiatric and mental health professionals, the pandemic has been an opportunity to build up their experience of remote care and, thus, better identify the possibilities and limits of these digital technologies.

Conclusions: New uses of such technologies essentially consist of a transition from the classic consultation model toward teleconsultation and make less use of the specific potential of artificial intelligence. As professionals were not prepared for these uses, they were confronted with practical difficulties and ethical questions, such as the place of digital technology in care, confidentiality and protection of personal data, and equity in access to care. The COVID-19 health crisis questions how the organization of health care integrates the possibilities offered by digital technology, in particular to promote the autonomy and empowerment of mental health service users.

Keywords: COVID-19; e–mental health; professional practices; quality of care; telepsychiatry; videoconferencing.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflicts of Interest: WEH received speaker fees from Air Liquide, Eisai, Janssen, Lundbeck, Otsuka, UCB Pharma, and Chugai. WEH has received research grants from the Fondation de France and from the French National Hospital Program for Clinical Research (PHRC) that are unrelated to the submitted work.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Flowchart of article selection for this review.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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