Description
The COVID-19 pandemic has facilitated a digital revolution in healthcare, as the pandemic and subsequent public health emergency forced massive scaling of telebehavioral health (TBH) across the country. This occurred due to a combination of increased demand for behavioral health services, coupled with exacerbated barriers to accessing care. Lockdowns, contact precautions, and reduced facility capacity added to the pre-existing behavioral health crisis. While these challenges affected everyone, they also exacerbated healthcare disparities among many underserved patient populations, including racial, linguistic, and sexual and gender minorities. The stressors of the pandemic including economic downturn, social unrest, discrimination, and anti-LGBTQ+ legislation worsened the already escalating mental health needs of members of minority populations. The expansion of TBH and digital solutions expanded access to care, but many patients belonging to minority populations have continued to face challenges in accessing care. Barriers and challenges exist in both in-person and virtual behavioral health care, at the patient, clinician, and systemic level. In this session, we discuss the use of TBH and digital solutions to expand access to care, focusing on three historically underserved patient populations, including racialized minorities, linguistic minorities, and sexual and gender minorities. We further discuss the interplay of innovations in healthcare with systemic barriers and the potential for disparate dissemination, adoption, and access to such innovations that may compound healthcare disparities. We explore different approaches to digital health implementation that would incorporate equity into the delivery of TBH and virtual care more broadly, ultimately mitigating the access divide without perpetuating the digital divide.
Format
Recorded webinar.
This content was recorded during the APA 2023 Annual Meeting.
Learning Objectives
- Discuss the potential role of digital health solutions in expanding access to care for marginalized populations.
- Appreciate the complexities of access barriers for marginalized populations at the patient, clinician, and systemic levels.
- Understand the potential of innovations in healthcare to mitigate or exacerbate health disparities.
- Explore the health equity dimensions of healthcare innovations and technologies.
Target Audience
Residents/Fellows, Psychiatrists, Psychologists
Estimate Time to Complete
Estimated Duration: 1.5 hours
Program Start Date: May 1, 2025
Program End Date: May 1, 2028
How to Earn Credit
Participants who wish to earn AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ may do so after completing all sections of the course including the evaluation. After evaluating the program, course participants will be provided with an opportunity to claim hours of participation and print an official CME certificate (physicians) or certificate of participation (non-physicians) showing the completion date and hours earned.
Continuing Education Credit
In support of improving patient care, the American Psychiatric Association is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), to provide continuing education for the healthcare team.
The APA designates this live activity for a maximum of 1.5 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
Faculty and Planner Disclosures
The American Psychiatric Association adheres to the ACCME’s Standards for Integrity and Independence in Accredited Continuing Medical Education. Any individuals in a position to control the content of a CME activity — including faculty, planners, reviewers or others — are required to disclose all relevant financial relationships with ineligible entities (commercial interests). All relevant conflicts of interest have been mitigated prior to the commencement of the activity.
Instructors
- Nicole Christian-Brathwaite, MD.
- Leroy Arenivar.
- Hossam Mahmoud.
Planners
- Vishal Madaan, MD, Chief of Education and Deputy Medical Director at the American Psychiatric Association.
Accessibility for Participants with Disabilities
The American Psychiatric Association is committed to ensuring accessibility of its website to people with disabilities. Please contact the American Psychiatric Association at 202-559-3900, if you require assistance seven (7) business days prior to the start of a live webinar.
Technical Requirements
This internet-based CME activity is best experienced using any of the following:
- The latest and 2nd latest public versions of Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, or Safari
- Internet Explorer 11+
This Web site requires that JavaScript and session cookies be enabled. Certain activities may require additional software to view multimedia, presentation, or printable versions of the content. These activities will be marked as such and will provide links to the required software. That software may be: Adobe Acrobat Reader, Microsoft PowerPoint, and Windows Media Player.
Optimal System Configuration:
- Browser: Google Chrome (latest and 2nd latest version), Safari (latest and 2nd latest version), Internet Explorer 11.0+, Firefox (latest and 2nd latest version), or Microsoft Edge (latest and 2nd latest version)
- Operating System: Windows versions 8.1+, Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard) +, Android (latest and 2nd latest version), or iOS/iPad OS (latest and 2nd latest version)
- Internet Connection: 1 Mbps or higher
Minimum Requirements:
- Windows PC: Windows 8.1 or higher; 1 GB (for 32-bit)/2 GB (for 64-bit) or higher RAM; Microsoft DirectX 9 graphics device with WDDM driver; audio playback with speakers for programs with video content
- Macintosh: Mac OS X 10.5 or higher with latest updates installed; Intel, PowerPC G5, or PowerPC G4 (867MHz or faster) processor; 512 MB or higher RAM; audio playback with speakers for programs with video content
For assistance: Contact educme@psych.org for questions about this activity | Contact learningcenter@psych.org for technical assistance