Telepsychiatric Consultation vs. In-person Consultation in Clinic for Psychiatry in Skopje, North Macedonia

Abstract

<jats:p>Introduction: Our dilemma as mental health professionals was; what do our patients prefer - tele psychiatric or face-to-face consultations?. Materials and Methods: In two-month period (July 15th through September 15th, 2021) all patients that have had their consultations at our Clinic were offered to choose between face-to-face and tele psychiatric consultation. At the same time, they were asked why they choose that particular form of consultation. Results: Total number of patients (2.053) 1339 chose face-to-face consultation, 714 chose tele-psychiatric consultation. Discussion: Many doctors and patients alike still like a “personal touch” but not all procedures should be performed face to face, especially during COVID-19 pandemics, in cases when patients just can’t get in to see their doctors in- erson, and for many cases that don’t require a physical exam (e.g. renewing of prescriptions of chronic patients), telemedicine can be a good alternative. Conclusions: Tele-medicine (particularly tele psychiatry) is here to stay. The only dilemma now is: what are the future ways to enhance tele psychiatry for use in different cultural and technological environments, so patients would choose tele-psychiatric consultation more often.</jats:p>