The Role of Telemental Health, Tele-consultation, and Tele-supervision in Post-disaster and Low-resource Settings
- PDF / 412,192 Bytes
- 10 Pages / 595.276 x 790.866 pts Page_size
- 38 Downloads / 138 Views
PSYCHIATRY IN THE DIGITAL AGE (J SHORE, SECTION EDITOR)
The Role of Telemental Health, Tele-consultation, and Tele-supervision in Post-disaster and Low-resource Settings Eugene F. Augusterfer 1 & Colleen R. O’Neal 2 & Shannon W. Martin 2 & Taiwo Lateef Sheikh 3 & Richard F. Mollica 4 Accepted: 26 October 2020 # Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2020
Abstract Purpose of Review The goal of this paper was to review recent literature and provide recommendations regarding the use of telemental health, with a focus on tele-consultation and tele-supervision in post-disaster and low-resource settings, including the impact of COVID-19. Recent Findings The latest research on mental health needs in low-resource settings has identified a high need for mental health services for difficult-to-reach and underserved populations. Research on tele-consultation and tele-supervision was reviewed and found that tele-consultation and tele-supervision to be an effective modality for insuring quality mental health care delivery in low-resource settings. Additionally, two case studies were included which illustrate the use of both tele-consultation and telesupervision in low-resource low- and middle-income settings. Summary The paper concludes that tele-consultation and tele-supervision hold the promise to narrow the gap in quality mental health services in low-resource settings so often impacted by disaster and conflict. The authors recommend that telemental health training be developed that specifically enhances consultants’ and supervisors’ skills in tele-consultation and tele-supervision. Keywords Telemental health . COVID-19 . Supervision . Consultation . Disaster response
Introduction The sudden onset of the COVID-19 pandemic is a major disaster impacting much of the global population. Health care and mental health providers are being pushed to the limit to meet the demands of their respective populations. Understandably, caring for the medical needs of those suffering from the COVID-19 virus is a priority, but mental health needs are gaining attention in the popular press in addition to This article is part of the Topical collection on Psychiatry in the Digital Age * Eugene F. Augusterfer [email protected] 1
Harvard Global Mental Health Trauma and Recovery Program, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
2
University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA
3
Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria
4
Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
the medical and mental health press. “The psychological impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic must be recognized alongside the physical symptoms for all those affected...Psychological symptoms relating to COVID19 have already been observed on a population level...” [1]. Staffing shortages and lack of specialty training in mental health are a particular challenge in low-resource settings [2]. Thus, mental health consultation and supervision of primary care providers (doctors and nurses) and paraprofessional community health workers is c
Data Loading...
