The Evolving Variant That Healthcare Needs
With so much change in the world, telepsychiatry jobs are likely to grow in 2021. Of course, COVID-19 has played a huge role in the need for more services in both telemedicine and psychiatry.
Mental healthcare is needed urgently. Statistics from Mental Health America reveal the devastating details:
- The number of people needing help with anxiety and depression surged by 93% between January and September 2020
- 37% of people reported having suicidal thoughts nearly every day in September 2020
- 7% of the youth in America suffer sever major depression
Further to the last figure, only 27% of youths are receiving consistent care. But this could – and must – all be about to change.
Telemedicine is finally finding its feet in healthcare, providing essential and consistent care to patients fast and safe in their homes. Those in telepsychiatry jobs can reach their patients and support them with diagnosis, prevention, and treatment. For healthcare, the coronavirus brought few benefits – except the rapid rise in telehealth and telepsychiatry jobs in 2021 and beyond.
What Is Telepsychiatry?
Telepsychiatry is the healthcare service connection between a psychiatrist and a patient via audio or video consultation. It’s a process of providing mental healthcare as you would in psychiatry, but as opposed to in-person consultations face-to-face, you’re providing the service from your setting (either at home or in a clinical setting) to a patient’s home using technology.
The care involves a range of services including:
- Psychiatric evaluations
- Therapy (Individual/group/family/relationships)
- Medication management
- Patient education
Major Benefits of Telepsychiatry Jobs
Providing psychiatric care through telepsychiatry is proving popular for both patients and providers. Here’s why:
· Increased Access
All patients can access healthcare regardless of where they live. Where patients have difficulty due to a disability or available carer to assist them to an appointment, telepsychiatry eliminates that problem entirely.
This also broadly widens a hospital’s patient reach, increasing the number of patients they can help.
· Reduced Cost to Patients
There’s no commute or parking to fund, no time off work, and no childcare costs that cause patients expense for their appointments.
· Reduced Failed Appointments
With cost and inconvenience reduced, more patients are likely to attend. This means less wasted time for the provider, and better healthcare outcomes.
· Reduced Cost to Providers
Cost is saved through failed appointments being drastically reduced, and being able to see more patients as a result. It also frees up a whole host of financial burdens spent on facilities and resources.
· Consistent and Regular Care
With easier access to patients, care becomes regular, consistent, and easily trackable. In turn, this leads to better, more accurate diagnoses and patient progress, and therefore fewer admissions.
· Improved Communication
Technology allows seamless and speedier digital communicating between healthcare professionals and sharing of medical records, improving patient support.
· Reduced Delay in Care
Telepsychiatrists suffer less burnout and enjoy improved work/life balance, which leads to reduced absence in work.
Additionally, should a patient need to reschedule, the process of rescheduling is much faster. Patients are seen sooner, and the delay in treatment reduced. It’s much easier to replace a virtual consultation at short notice.
· Psychiatric Patients Feel More Comfortable
Patients in peril of their own mental health often struggle to reach out. And when they do, there’s still the hurdle of talking about it, particularly in an unfamiliar clinical room.
Reaching out to patients in the comfort of their own homes or preferred settings could have lifechanging outcomes.
· Better-Educated Patients
Without the pressure of running a clinic dictated by late arrivals or logistical problems, telepsychiatrists can spend more time with each patient to educate them in also taking a holistic approach to their own wellbeing.
Telepsychiatry Is a Growth Market
As well as proving hugely advantageous to both patients and providers, telepsychiatry is appealing to investors, too.
Telehealth is showing consistent year-over-year growth, and the pandemic has accelerated its need and demand dramatically. Mental health services are, sadly, one of the biggest sectors in healthcare. On top of this, investors recognize that providing these services online can be delivered quite easily, creating better medical outcomes, at a reduced cost, and increased turnover.
Thus, providers offering telepsychiatry services may appeal to investors. Greater investment will allow providers to expand their services further. This is great news for healthcare, with lifechanging – and even lifesaving – outcomes for patients.
Summing Up
It’s clear that telehealth is a major growth area in healthcare, and that providing mental health services is of urgent priority.
There are many job opportunities in telepsychiatry. And with an extremely healthy work/life balance and rewarding job satisfaction in a growing field, the benefits to you are clear.
It’s time to make a difference to many patients’ lives, and your own. Contact Telehealth Gigs today for some incredible opportunities in telepsychiatry jobs.
