Talk to the Veterans Crisis Line now
U.S. flag
An official website of the United States government
Veterans Benefits and Health Care About VA Find a VA Location

VA Health Systems Research

Go to the VA ORD website
Go to the QUERI website

HSR&D Citation Abstract

Search | Search by Center | Search by Source | Keywords in Title

A Comparison of Mental Health Diagnoses Treated via Interactive Video and Face to Face in the Veterans Healthcare Administration.

Grubbs KM, Fortney JC, Dean T, Williams JS, Godleski L. A Comparison of Mental Health Diagnoses Treated via Interactive Video and Face to Face in the Veterans Healthcare Administration. Telemedicine journal and e-health : the official journal of the American Telemedicine Association. 2015 Jul 1; 21(7):564-6.

Dimensions for VA is a web-based tool available to VA staff that enables detailed searches of published research and research projects.

If you have VA-Intranet access, click here for more information vaww.hsrd.research.va.gov/dimensions/

VA staff not currently on the VA network can access Dimensions by registering for an account using their VA email address.    Search Dimensions for VA for this citation
* Don't have VA-internal network access or a VA email address? Try searching the free-to-the-public version of Dimensions


Abstract:

OBJECTIVE: This study compares the mental health diagnoses of encounters delivered face to face and via interactive video in the Veterans Healthcare Administration (VHA). MATERIALS AND METHODS: We compiled 1 year of national-level VHA administrative data for Fiscal Year 2012 (FY12). Mental health encounters were those with both a VHA Mental Health Stop Code and a Mental Health Diagnosis (n = 11,906,114). Interactive video encounters were identified as those with a Mental Health Stop Code, paired with a VHA Telehealth Secondary Stop Code. Primary diagnoses were grouped into posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, psychosis, drug use, alcohol use, and other. RESULTS: In FY12, 1.5% of all mental health encounters were delivered via interactive video. Compared with face-to-face encounters, a larger percentage of interactive video encounters was for PTSD, depression, and anxiety, whereas a smaller percentage was for alcohol use, drug use, or psychosis. CONCLUSIONS: Providers and patients may feel more comfortable treating depression and anxiety disorders than substance use or psychosis via interactive video.




Questions about the HSR website? Email the Web Team

Any health information on this website is strictly for informational purposes and is not intended as medical advice. It should not be used to diagnose or treat any condition.