Telehealth Utilization During COVID-19 Among People with Diagnosed Mental Health Conditions

Abstract

<b><i>Background:</i></b><i>Despite the potential benefits and the demonstrated uptake throughout the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, studies have found that telemental health is still underused. The objective of the study was to explore the associations between mental health diagnoses and telehealth utilization during the pandemic.</i><b><i>Methods:</i></b><i>The study utilized a cross-sectional survey among adult Arkansans (</i>n<i> = 754). Logistic regression was used to determine the association between a diagnosis of anxiety and/or depression and telehealth utilization.</i><b><i>Results:</i></b><i>Forty-two percent of respondents reported utilizing telehealth during the pandemic. Respondents with a diagnosis of anxiety and/or depression had three times greater odds of utilizing telehealth (odds ratio = 2.97) than those with no diagnoses.</i><b><i>Discussion:</i></b><i>Utilization of telehealth care during the COVID-19 pandemic was lower in our sample compared with other nationally representative surveys; however, utilization was higher among people with a diagnosis of anxiety and/or depression.</i><b><i>Conclusions:</i></b><i>The results indicate the need for outreach to increase telehealth utilization.</i>