The use of virtual mental health care grew at an unprecedented rate in Canada during the pandemic but may not be the best option in all cases, a paper posted Monday by the Ontario Science Advisory Table says.
Limited research has shown that virtual health care can work well to support patients with depression, anxiety and post-traumatic disorder but there is little study comparing in-person to virtual care, especially in the treatment of severe mental illnesses such as schizophrenia or bipolar disorder, says the paper which was prepared by a team of researchers on behalf of the Science Table.
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“Thus, despite the surge in the use of virtual care during the pandemic, it is important to recognize that virtual care may not be an adequate substitute for in-person treatment for all populations or conditions,” the paper says. “Further, while virtual mental health care has the potential to address barriers to access to care for rural and underserved communities, it may also propagate existing inequities in mental health care for under-resourced populations.”
The widespread use of virtual mental health care by Ontarians suggests that there’s a need to develop recommendations to enhance the delivery of quality care, the paper says.
Some communities, including marginalized populations, don’t have access to privacy, housing, high-speed internet and the technology needed to access the service, the researchers found.
“Virtual delivery of mental health care should continue to have a strong presence after the pandemic period in the Ontario health system, given its efficacy, acceptability and feasibility,” the paper concludes. “However, until comparative effectiveness evidence is available, in-person options should continue to remain available for various clinical situations.”
The full research paper can be found at covid19-sciencetable.ca/science-briefs/
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