Telehealth began gaining popularity prior to the onset of COVID for a myriad of reasons. It is considered useful in any number of contexts within medicine, from improved pain management for cancer, to increased patient satisfaction in psychiatry appointments, to improved retention and outcomes in partial hospitalization programs. Even after lifting of restrictions for COVID, interventions are being developed and are expected to improve outcomes in insomnia and sleep disorders.
As a VA psychologist, I moved over a thousand miles from my home and job. Though I had regularly seen several veterans via telemedicine for medical reasons, I immediately became 100% telehealth, meaning all of my clients were seen online. At first, the ones I moved mid-treatment were angry and frustrated with me. They felt that my warmth in the room would be lost and it just wasn’t going to work. As such, I flew home every two months doing marathon days of therapy. By the end of the first year, however, something had shifted. Before the trip, I would ask each person with whom I was working if they would rather be seen via telehealth or in person. Maybe those who lived or worked nearby took me up on the offer of in-person therapy, but most understood that a trip to my office meant taking off from work, acquiring childcare, asking a loved one to drive, using gas, taking travel time, etc. Shortly thereafter, COVID-19 hit, and the choice for telehealth became unambiguous.
As restrictions are being lifted and people are venturing into healthcare with increased options, how do you choose between in person and telehealth options? Therapy preferences are quite individual and deeply personal. As such, I’m amassing a list of reasons to do in person versus telehealth to consider.
In person:
- Perhaps you like to sit on a couch with a cup of tea and bask in the warmth of the other person in the room.
- Getting away from work or home to spend time for and on yourself is appealing.
- You can’t find a place with sufficient privacy.
- You struggle with distractions and would do your best work in someone else’s office.
Telehealth:
- You’re busy. You’d prefer to spend the time on the therapy rather than the commute, whether on foot, via car, or via taxi.
- You like being in the comfort of your own space.
- Distractions are irrelevant. All you need is a professional on the screen who knows what they are doing.
- You like that you can squeeze therapy into times that work for your schedule, even during your lunchtime.
These considerations are just the ones that I might consider. I’d love to hear your considerations and factors for making your decision.
1 Cascella M, Coluccia S, Grizzuti M, Romano MC, Esposito G, Crispo A, Cuomo A. Satisfaction with Telemedicine for Cancer Pain Management: A Model of Care and Cross-Sectional Patient Satisfaction Study. Current Oncology. 2022; 29(8):5566-5578. https://doi.org/10.3390/curroncol29080439
2 Hohman, J.A., Martinez, K.A., Anand, A. et al. Use of Direct-to-Consumer Telemedicine to Access Mental Health Services. J GEN INTERN MED 37, 2759–2767 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11606-021-07326-y
3 Theodore Vlavianos, Marguerite McCarthy, Positive Outcomes in a Virtual Partial Hospitalization Program, The Joint Commission Journal on Quality and Patient Safety, Volume 48, Issue 9,2022,Pages 450-457,ISSN 1553-7250, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcjq.2022.04.007.
4 Wickwire EM, Abdelwadoud M, Collen J, Edwards H, Labra C, Capaldi VF, Williams SG, Manber R, Assefa SZ, Drake CL, Albrecht JS, Bevan J, Mahoney A, Tatum ED, Pierre E, Mantua J, Grandner MA, Mullins CD. Active Duty Service Members, Primary Managers, and Administrators’ Perspectives on a Novel Sleep Telehealth Management Platform in the U.S. Military Healthcare System. Mil Med. 2022 Aug 25;187(9-10):e1201-e1208. doi: 10.1093/milmed/usac006. PMID: 35089344.
