Evidence base for Tellehealth?

hey there @Mathew76 - you mentioned you weren't able to access the second article, here's a pdf accessible version i've found of it if you're interested in giving it a read still: AM_Anxiety_SR_Final_.pdf

and @Kiki5 you're more than welcome to share links to resources/articles as long as they meet our community guidelines.

it's definitely an interesting topic! and as mentioned by others, i think the effectiveness of telehealth can vary depending on why you're accessing it and what type of support you personally prefer. for example, some people with social anxiety or agoraphobia may tend to lean towards telehealth services and be more consistent using online supports as opposed to visiting face-to-face. google scholar will probably be a great place to search us some more resources 😊

Hi @Kiki5 ! You're right; there's a lot of literature out there. It also depends on the population and demographic you're looking at as well. I also really liked looking at the research from prior to COVID, although I know that telehealth has skyrocketed since COVID emerged.

It definitely brings up a lot of discussion relating to different support needs, communication styles and ways of engaging. I haven't got an article to quote, but interestingly it seems like SANE has a high proportion of Autistic people utilising our digital mental health programs, so there might be evidence to say that telehealth is particularly beneficial for that demographic.

But as you've said; any help is better than none, right? Even if F2F was found to be more effective than telehealth, that doesn't automatically correlate to telehealth being ineffective or negative. More research is needed, and we're always collecting data at SANE about whether our Guided Recovery and RecoveryClub programs are helping 😀

Thank you for the link.

That paper AM_Anxiety_SR_Final_.pdf was produced at Bond University.
The paper is a meta search of some 4000 papers excluded and came down to 6 studies considered, one in Australia.
The Australian study had all of 26 participants equally divided. So 12/13 actually used telehealth.

Considering the thousands of telehealth appointments in Australia, this is not the greatest sample. There are some very subjective factors involved.

Consider the sample size and might of the Australian industry. And and a huge industry it has become. Medicare rebates flow like water and massive unsustainable gap fees are beginning to appear. There are some fantastically greedy practitioners on slick websites. Likewise, one can waste half a life time talking to useless F2F carers. The test for uselessness, is do you get help in a crisis?

I take the point it is a choice, depending on ones circumstances.

If one is broken down on the side of the road it might be quite nice to have a telehealth appointment with a crystal healer, before you phone RACT, that is if you can afford it.

Hi there

Yes, totally see where you’re coming from and there are a number of considerations. We always want to look at sample size, and other factors like demographics.

I think it’s a good question and one worth looking into further. Lots of variables.
Another thing I’d offer from my experience, I have equally felt I’ve perhaps “wasted” time in person with therapists. It’s really tough and I think it takes a long time to find the right fit.

I hope you’re doing ok.