Patient Satisfaction With Geriatric Psychiatry Services via Video Teleconference

Area of Science:

• Geriatric Psychiatry
• Telehealth
• Mental Healthcare

Background:

• Geriatric psychiatry services are crucial for older adults.
• Access to specialized mental healthcare can be challenging for this population.
• Video telehealth offers a potential solution to improve access.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate patient satisfaction with geropsychiatry services delivered via video telehealth.
• To understand older adults' preferences for telehealth compared to in-person consultations.

Main Methods:

• Community-dwelling older Veterans receiving geriatric psychiatry services via telehealth participated.
• A paper-based survey assessed satisfaction after two medication management visits.
• Services were provided across the Pacific Northwest and Southwestern United States.

Main Results:

• 90% of participants liked or preferred geriatric telepsychiatry.
• 83% found telehealth services to be the same or better than in-person care.
• Patients saved an average of 168 driving miles per visit.

Conclusions:

• Older adults demonstrate broad acceptance and satisfaction with telegeropsychiatry.
• Telehealth increases access to specialized geriatric mental healthcare.
• This care modality significantly decreases travel-related hardships for patients.