Is Telehealth as Effective as In-Person Visits?

How Common Is Telehealth?

Prior to the COVID epidemic, telehealth was not all that common. Only about 15% of all healthcare visits occurred via telehealth prior to COVID. From 2019 to 2021 during the peaks of COVID nearly every healthcare provider scrambled to implement telehealth software in order to continue seeing clients. Over this three-year period telehealth services skyrocketed from just 15% up to 86%. Now nearly 75% of all physicians and healthcare providers offer a telehealth option for delivery of care. As of 2022, post-COVID statistics show that 43% of patients had a telehealth visit suggesting it is now a widely accepted form of service delivery.

What are the Benefits of Telehealth?

Probably the greatest benefit of telehealth for most patients is the ease and convenience of it. In congested areas, fighting traffic to make it to the clinic can be a challenge. Many people are able to meet with their doctor from the comfort of their home. For others, they enjoy not having to take time off work or arrange for childcare while they have a session with their doctor. The time saved to a real boon for many clients.

Some people worry about exposing others to their sickness, or conversely risk being exposed to other sick patients in clinic waiting rooms. Telehealth eliminates that risk all together. Those with transportation issues also find telehealth a great benefit. Taking buses, cabs, or Uber’s can be costly and time consuming. Similarly, those with disabilities can find it challenging to get in and out and transfer to wheelchairs, find spots, get into buildings, and the like. Some clinics have sooner appointments for telehealth versus in-person appointments, and accordingly those content to do telehealth can often get seen sooner.

Is Telehealth as Effective As In-Person Visits?

In recent years there have been a number of studies looking at the efficacy of telehealth visits in comparison to in-person visits. One study in 2020 found that people with low income found their telehealth visits to be favorable to in-person visits. 72% said they were satisfied with, or even more satisfied, than typical in-person visits. Another study related to maternal care found that telehealth visits were a useful supplement to in-person visits as many expecting mothers are often physically uncomfortable when going out and are able to do some visits from the comfort of their home. Specific to therapy and psychiatry visits, a group of researchers reviewed 60 different studies looking at the effectiveness of telehealth visits. The global results of those studies found that telehealth visits were just as effective as in-person visits for people with depression, anxiety, and even PTSD. In sum, telehealth does not diminish the experience of medical visits or therapy visits and is equal to care delivery to in-person visits.

If you are interested in talking to a professional to help you through some issues and would like to meet with one of our therapists or psychiatrists via telehealth, feel free to contact IPC so you can schedule an appointment.  Please call us now at 763-416-4167, or request an appointment on our website: WWW.IPC-MN.COM so we can sit down with you and complete a thorough assessment and help you develop a plan of action that will work for you. Life is too short to be unhappy. Find the peace of mind you deserve.

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Innovative Psychological Consultants

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