{'fraction_non_alphanumeric': 0.018799710773680405, 'fraction_numerical': 0.0007230657989877079, 'mean_word_length': 5.883084577114428, 'pattern_counts': {'":': 0, '<': 0, '<?xml version=': 0, '>': 0, 'https://': 0, 'lorem ipsum': 0, 'www.': 0, 'xml': 0}, 'pii_count': 0, 'substrings_counts': 0, 'word_list_counts': {'cursed_substrings.json': 0, 'profanity_word_list.json': 0, 'sexual_word_list.json': 0, 'zh_pornsignals.json': 0}}
Attitudinal barriers hindering adoption of Telepsychiatry among mental healthcare professionals: Israel as a case-study (Preprint)


 BACKGROUND
 Despite obvious and proven advantages for the use of telemedicine in psychiatry, mental healthcare professionals have shown deep-seated mistrust and suspicion of telepsychiatry, which hinders its widespread application.
 
 
 OBJECTIVE
 The current study aims to examine the attitudes of Israeli mental health professionals towards telepsychiatry; seeking to uncover the relationship with experience with telepsychiatry, and organizational affiliation.
 
 
 METHODS
 A qualitative study, including 27 in-depth interviews with Israeli mental-health professionals, representing a diverse analytical, geographical, and gendered cross-section of the local professional community. A thematic analysis revealed three major themes – economic efficiency, clinical quality, and the effects on the work-life balance of healthcare professionals. Individuals’ responses were furthermore compared against hierarchical position, organizational affiliation, and experience with telepsychiatry.
 
 
 RESULTS
 Participants were evenly divided, between supporters of telepsychiatry and those who oppose and object to its widespread usage in routine mental healthcare. This division manifested itself most clearly in their assessment of the clinical quality of telepsychiatry. However, it was also palpable in their assessment of its efficiency and its effects for healthcare professionals. Furthermore, the study also revealed a positive correlation between participants’ experience with telepsychiatry, and their support for its usage. However, this relationship seems to be mitigated by one’s employment and organizational affiliations. Employees of at least one Israeli Health Maintenance Organization exhibited a negative trendline, where more experience with telepsychiatry also meant stronger opposition for its utilization.
 
 
 CONCLUSIONS
 Attitudes of mental health professionals were found to be widely divergent and sharply dichotomized regarding different aspects of telepsychiatry, and its suitability for mental healthcare services. However, there was general consensus that telemedicine may not fulfil its promise of being a panacea to the problems of modern public medicine. At the same time, attitudes were related to hierarchical position, organizational affiliation and personal experience with telepsychiatry. Specifically, organizational affiliation influenced experience with and support for assimilation of telepsychiatry. The study also revealed the role of organizational leadership and culture in promoting or inhibiting the proliferation and adoption of innovative technologies and services in modern medicine.
