Patient Satisfaction With Geriatric Psychiatry Services via Video Teleconference

The objective for the current study is to examine patient satisfaction with geropsychiatry services provided via video telehealth.

Participants included community-dwelling older Veterans receiving geriatric psychiatry services via telehealth across regions of the Pacific Northwest and Southwestern United States. Participants completed a paper-based survey examining satisfaction with services following the completion of two medication management visits with a geropsychiatrist.

The majority of participants (90%) reported liking or even preferring geriatric telepsychiatry, despite the experience being novel for the majority of patients. Eighty-three percent of participants reported that receiving telegeropsychiatry services was the same (n = 30) or better (n = 3) than being seen in-person. Participants saved an average of 168 driving miles (means and standard deviations = 59.2; range 2-480) each visit.

The findings of the current study suggest that older adults accept and are broadly satisfied with telegeropsychiatry services. This modality of care increased access to specialty care and decreased travel hardship.