Viewpoints of Healthcare Professionals on Care Delivery Within the Frames of Old-Age Mental Telehealth Services Operating in Low-Resource Settings
<b>Background/Objectives: </b>The INTegRated InterveNtion of pSychogerIatric Care (INTRINSIC) network introduces an innovative model of psychogeriatric care, combining tertiary mental healthcare with primary care for older adults in low-resource settings in Greece via telemedicine. This...
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| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2025-06-01
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| Series: | Brain Sciences |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3425/15/7/698 |
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| Summary: | <b>Background/Objectives: </b>The INTegRated InterveNtion of pSychogerIatric Care (INTRINSIC) network introduces an innovative model of psychogeriatric care, combining tertiary mental healthcare with primary care for older adults in low-resource settings in Greece via telemedicine. This study explores viewpoints of healthcare professionals on care delivery within the frames of old-age mental telehealth services in low-resource settings. <b>Methods:</b> All healthcare professionals, including 13 medical and 11 non-medical professionals from diverse healthcare units in urban, rural, and insular areas, participated in a semi-structured survey. Thematic analysis identified key insights. <b>Results: </b>Most participants (<i>N</i> = 19) highlighted the high usability of the INTRINSIC services and their high satisfaction for being members of the network (<i>N</i> = 17) was attributed to the collaborative delivery of integrated, specialized healthcare services in primary healthcare (<i>N</i> = 17). Further identified advantages of the services included the positive impact on timely care delivery (<i>N</i> = 6), cost effectiveness, and alleviation of hospital strain. Healthcare professionals valued the holistic approach of the INTRINSIC services to psychogeriatric care (<i>N</i> = 8) and their role in the improvement of it in communities in low-resource settings (<i>N</i> = 13). However, challenges were also reported, including the low openness and reluctance of service users (<i>N</i> = 7), difficulties in using the INTRINSIC digital platform (<i>N</i> = 5), and increased workload (<i>N</i> = 5). <b>Conclusions:</b> Despite these issues, the INTRINSIC services embody an innovative telehealth model for delivering high-quality, tertiary, mental, and cognitive healthcare services to older adults in underserved areas. |
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| ISSN: | 2076-3425 |