Literature Collection

BACKGROUND: Digital mental health applications (DMHAs) are emerging, novel solutions to address gaps in behavioral health care. Accordingly, Kaiser Permanente Mid-Atlantic States (KPMAS) integrated referrals for 6 unique DMHAs into clinical care in 2019. OBJECTIVE: This study investigated patient and health care professional (HCP) experiences with DMHA referral; DMHA use; and perceived importance of engagement, functionality, design, and information attributes in real-world practice. METHODS: Separate cross-sectional surveys were developed and tested for patients and HCPs. Surveys were administered to KPMAS participants through REDCap (Research Electronic Data Capture), and completed between March 2022 and June 2022. Samples included randomly selected patients who were previously referred to at least 1 DMHA between April 2021 and December 2021 and behavioral health and primary care providers who referred DMHAs between December 2019 and December 2021. RESULTS: Of the 119 patients e-mailed a survey link, 58 (48.7%) completed the survey and 44 (37%) confirmed receiving a DMHA referral. The mean age of the sample was 42.21 (SD 14.08) years (29/44, 66%); 73% (32/44) of the respondents were female, 73% (32/44) of the respondents had at least a 4-year college degree, 41% (18/44) of the respondents were Black or African American, and 39% (17/44) of the respondents were White. Moreover, 27% (12/44) of the respondents screened positive for anxiety symptoms, and 23% (10/44) of the respondents screened positive for depression. Overall, 61% (27/44) of the respondents reported DMHA use for ≤6 months since referral, 36% (16/44) reported use within the past 30 days, and 43% (19/44) of the respondents reported that DMHAs were very or extremely helpful for improving mental and emotional health. The most important patient-reported DMHA attributes by domain were being fun and interesting to use (engagement); ease in learning how to use (functionality); visual appeal (design); and having well-written, goal- and topic-relevant content (information). Of the 60 sampled HCPs, 12 (20%) completed the survey. Mean HCP respondent age was 46 (SD 7.75) years, and 92% (11/12) of the respondents were female. Mean number of years since completing training was 14.3 (SD 9.94) years (10/12, 83%). Of the 12 HCPs, 7 (58%) were physicians and 5 (42%) were nonphysicians. The most important HCP-reported DMHA attributes by domain were personalized settings and content (engagement); ease in learning how to use (functionality); arrangement and size of screen content (design); and having well-written, goal- and topic-relevant content (information). HCPs described "typical patients" referred to DMHAs based on perceived need, technical capability, and common medical conditions, and they provided guidance for successful use. CONCLUSIONS: Individual patient needs and preferences should match the most appropriate DMHA. With many DMHA choices, decision support systems are essential to assist patients and HCPs with selecting appropriate DMHAs to optimize uptake and sustained use.

Background: Asynchronous telepsychiatry (ATP) consultations are a novel form of psychiatric consultation. Studies comparing patient and provider satisfaction for ATP with that for synchronous telepsychiatry (STP) do not exist. Methods: This mixed-methods study is a secondary analysis of patients' and primary care providers' (PCPs) satisfaction from a randomized clinical trial of ATP compared with STP. Patients and their PCPs completed satisfaction surveys, and provided unstructured feedback about their experiences with either ATP or STP. Differences in patient satisfaction were assessed using mixed-effects logistic regression models, and the qualitative data were analyzed using thematic analysis with an inductive coding framework. Results: Patient satisfaction overall was high with 84% and 97% of respondents at 6 months reported being somewhat or completely satisfied with ATP and STP, respectively. Patients in the STP group were more likely to report being completely satisfied, to recommend the program to a friend, and to report being comfortable with their care compared with ATP (all p < 0.05). However, there was no difference between the patients in ATP and STP in perceived change in clinical outcomes (p = 0.51). The PCP quantitative data were small, and thus only summarized descriptively. Conclusions: Patients expressed their overall satisfaction with both STP and ATP. Patients in ATP reported more concerns about the process, likely because feedback after ATP was slower than that after STP consultations. PCPs had no apparent preference for STP or ATP, and reported implementing the psychiatrists' recommendations for both groups when such recommendations were made, which supports our previous findings. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02084979; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02084979.

IMPORTANCE: Harm reduction is associated with improved health outcomes among people who use substances. As overdose deaths persist, hospitals are recognizing the need for harm reduction services; however, little is known about the outcomes of hospital-based harm reduction for patients and staff. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate patient and staff perspectives on the impact and challenges of a hospital-based harm reduction program offering safer use education and supplies at discharge. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: This qualitative study consisted of 40-minute semistructured interviews with hospitalized patients receiving harm reduction services and hospital staff at an urban, safety-net hospital in California from October 2022 to March 2023. Purposive sampling allowed inclusion of diverse patient racial and ethnic identities, substance use disorders (SUDs), and staff roles. EXPOSURE: Receipt of harm reduction education and/or supplies (eg, syringes, pipes, naloxone, and test strips) from an addiction consult team, or providing care for patients receiving these services. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: Interviews were analyzed using thematic analysis to identify key themes. RESULTS: A total of 40 participants completed interviews, including 20 patients (mean [SD] age, 43 [13] years; 1 American Indian or Alaska Native [5%], 1 Asian and Pacific Islander [5%], 6 Black [30%]; 6 Latine [30%]; and 6 White [30%]) and 20 staff (mean [SD] age 37 [8] years). Patients were diagnosed with a variety of SUDs (7 patients with opioid and stimulant use disorder [35%]; 7 patients with stimulant use disorder [35%]; 3 patients with opioid use disorder [15%]; and 3 patients with alcohol use disorder [15%]). A total of 3 themes were identified; respondents reported that harm reduction programs (1) expanded access to harm reduction education and supplies, particularly for ethnically and racially minoritized populations; (2) built trust by improving the patient care experience and increasing engagement; and (3) catalyzed culture change by helping destigmatize care for individuals who planned to continue using substances and increasing staff fulfillment. Black and Latine patients, those who primarily used stimulants, and those with limited English proficiency (LEP) reported learning new harm reduction strategies. Program challenges included hesitancy regarding regulations, limited SUD education among staff, remaining stigma, and the need for careful assessment of patient goals. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: In this qualitative study, patients and staff believed that integrating harm reduction services into hospital care increased access for populations unfamiliar with harm reduction, improved trust, and reduced stigma. These findings suggest that efforts to increase access to harm reduction services for Black, Latine, and LEP populations, including those who use stimulants, are especially needed.

OBJECTIVES: As permanent telehealth policies are considered in the United States (U.S.), it is important to understand who uses telehealth most often following the pandemic. We described patients who used a national virtual care practice frequently, identified how they differed from patients who used it less often, and characterized the types of care frequent telehealth patients utilized. METHODS: We used video visit data for commercially-insured patients, aged 18+, from a national virtual integrated medical and behavioral health practice in 2022 in the U.S. Patients were categorized into three groups: one visit ('minimal use'), two to four visits ('some use'), and five or more visits ('frequent use'). We compared patient and geographic characteristics between the three groups and estimated an ordinary least squares linear regression to identify predictors of 'frequent' use relative to 'minimal' or 'some' use. RESULTS: The probability of being a frequent user declined with age (-0.4 percentage points (p.p.) per year; 95 % CI, -0.4 - -0.3), was higher for females (5.4 p.p.; 95 % CI, 4.1 - 6.7) and patients with greater clinical complexity (7.9 p.p. for highest relative to lowest quartile risk score; 95 % CI, 5.9 - 10.0), and lower for patients in the Northeast (-9.2 p.p.; 95 % CI, -15.5 - -2.9) or West (-3.2 p.p.; 95 % CI, -5.7 - -0.7) regions relative to the Southern region of the U.S. The five most common diagnoses were mental health conditions. CONCLUSIONS: Our results highlight the need for comprehensive telehealth policy that enables access, particularly for patients who rely on it as their primary source of care.