Tablet Devices Assisted Mental Healthcare Services For US Veterans
Researchers found that tablet devices were successful in delivering mental healthcare services to US Veterans during the COVID-19 pandemic.
As the COVID-19 pandemic forced providers to deliver care virtually, a JAMA Network Open study found that video-enabled tablet devices were an effective channel for providing mental healthcare services to US Veterans.
The study consisted of 13,180 participants who received a tablet device provided by the US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Just over 11,600, or 88 percent of this population, were men, and 2,161 or 16 percent were Black.
All of those who participated were rural veterans who had experienced at least one visit through VA mental healthcare services during 2019. There was also a subcohort of patients the VA identified as high-risk for suicide.
The VA tablet service offered visits related to psychotherapy, medication management, and comprehensive suicide risk evaluations (CSREs). The researchers looked how often veterans used the tablets for those visits, as well as the probability of emergency department (ED) visitation and statistics regarding suicide-related ED visits and overdose.
Researchers found that tablet devices were a successful method of delivering mental healthcare services to US Veterans during the COVID-19 pandemic. With this implementation, the number of psychotherapy visits increased, and there was a noted reduction in suicide-related situations and ED visitation.
Specifically, high-risk suicide patients reported a decrease of 38 ED visits, 13 of which were visits relating to suicide. There was also a 19 percent decrease in the chance of an ED visit among this group.
Regarding limitations, a prominent factor that could have affected data was the nonrandom distribution of tablets. COVID-19 itself may have also affected data, as ED visits could be related to the pandemic rather than mental health and suicide-related issues.
In recent years, various efforts have sought to increase healthcare access for veterans, often involving telehealth.
In 2019, VA conducted a similar project that provided U.S. veterans with tablets. The inspiration for this project derived from the common convenience of at-home care and the lack of staff at VA centers. Like the 2022 study, researchers concluded a level of success was associated with this program.
Recently, VA made efforts to increase veterans’ access to at-home care, expanding the availability of various programs. Executive Director of VA Office of Geriatrics and Extended Care Scotte Hartronft, MD, stated that at-home mental healthcare programs allow veterans to receive care that doesn’t require relocation and promptly provided the services for them.
In October 2020, a bill called the Commander John Scott Hannon Veterans Mental Health Care Improvement Act was proposed to Congress. This bill proposed that the VA provide grants for all telemental programs designed for veterans.