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 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.

Authors

Institutions

Publication Details

Journal
Brain Sciences
Published
2025-06-28
DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci15070698
Primary Topic
Telemedicine and Telehealth Implementation
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00

Funders

Controls
|||
ALL TIME
JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
OCT
article

Viewpoints of Healthcare Professionals on Care Delivery Within the Frames of Old-Age Mental Telehealth Services Operating in Low-Resource Settings

Maria Alexaki, Iοannis Laliotis, Sandro Sideri, Maria Passa et al.
Brain Sciences
Telemedicine and Telehealth Implementation
article

Viewpoints of Healthcare Professionals on Care Delivery Within the Frames of Old-Age Mental Telehealth Services Operating in Low-Resource Settings

Maria Alexaki, Iοannis Laliotis, Sandro Sideri, Maria Passa, Panagiotis Alexopoulos, Apostolos Εfkarpidis, Theofanis Vorvolakos, Anna Petrou, Evaggelia Kontogianni, Antonios M. Politis, Emily Adrion, Vassiliki Naziri, Kalliopi Savvopoulou, Vasileios Stamos, Eleutheria Aggeletaki, Maria Gkampra, Maria Delatola, Antonis Delatolas, Eleni Konidari, Gregorios Alokrios, Paraskevi Soukouli, Costas Tsibanis
article en

Abstract

<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.

Brain SciencesVol. 15(7)
Johns Hopkins University (US), Democritus University of Thrace (GR), University of Patras (GR), National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (GR), Trinity College Dublin (IE), TUM Klinikum (DE), Eginition Hospital (GR), Technical University of Munich (DE), University of Edinburgh (GB)
European Commission
Openalex Percentile: Top 78%
Telemedicine and Telehealth Implementation
AI Navigator

Ask Laika to Summarize, Analyze, and Connect papers live on the map.

Summarize Papers & Methodologies

Extract key findings, datasets, and comparative methods across publications.

Benchmark Rankings & Visual Analytics

Rank top research institutions, authors, funders, topics, and journals by Field-Weighted Citation Impact (FWCI) and paper volume with instant charts.

Connect Distant Disciplines

Bridge topological clusters on the map to find hidden collaborative intersections.