Healthcare Professionals' Attitudes and Expectations Toward Digital Inpatient-like Psychotherapy: A Qualitative...

Background: Digitalization in medicine is becoming increasingly important to ensure low-threshold, comprehensive, flexible, multimodal, and multiprofessional treatment. This qualitative interview study explores the nuanced perspectives of mental health professionals regarding a digital inpatient-like psychotherapy concept. Methods: This study employed semi-structured qualitative interviews to assess attitudes and expectations toward a digital inpatient-like psychotherapy concept among mental health professionals in Germany. The resulting data were analyzed using a hybrid deductive-inductive codebook thematic analysis involving a consensus-based coding process by three independent researchers. Results: A total of n = 25 interviews with physicians (assistant physicians, specialists), psychotherapists, nurses, psychologists, and individuals from other professions were included in the data analysis. The interviewees held various roles and brought diverse levels of experience to the study, in the context of inpatient mental healthcare. The general attitude toward digital inpatient-like psychotherapy was positive, particularly when viewed as a supplement to traditional inpatient mental healthcare and implemented in a hybrid model. However, the technical infrastructure and the suitability of patient cohorts warrant further examination. Conclusions: Digital inpatient-like psychotherapy offers a promising approach to enhancing mental health treatment. Mental health professionals generally expressed a positive attitude toward such concepts, though certain structural and contextual conditions-such as establishing adequate technical support structures and improving the digital literacy of mental health professionals-must be addressed prior to implementation.