(PS8-D87) Treatment Outcomes and Patient Satisfaction of a Virtual Partial Hospital Program: A Mixed-method Study

Despite a proliferation in virtual intensive treatment programs during the COVID-19 pandemic, there is a dearth of research on the treatment outcomes and patient perceptions of such programs. This knowledge is crucial to determine whether virtual intensive treatment programs should be offered as an ongoing model of care. In the current study, we compared daily depression and anxiety symptom trajectories and patient satisfaction between patients who attended an in-person or virtual cognitive behavioral therapy partial hospital program (PHP). Further, we examined patients’ qualitative feedback about advantages and disadvantages of the virtual PHP. Participants included 296 patients attending a virtual PHP during the COVID-19 pandemic and 489 patients attending an in-person PHP one year prior. Each day of treatment, patients completed the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 and the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 to assess changes in depression and anxiety symptoms. Patients completed the Perceptions of Care survey and the Clinical Global Impressions Scale-Improvement at discharge to assess subjective metrics of patient satisfaction. Patients in the virtual PHP also provided qualitative feedback about advantages and disadvantages of virtual care. Patients experienced a reduction in depression (b = -.16, t[555] = 10.25, p < .001) and anxiety symptoms (b = -.14, t[542] = 10.58, p < .001) across both the in-person and virtual PHPs. There were no significant differences in depression (b = .04, t[529] = 1.17, p = .24) or anxiety (b = .03, t[515] = 1.26, p = .21) symptom trajectories across virtual and in-person treatment programs. Patients in both programs reported high satisfaction with their care, and there were no significant differences in patient satisfaction across programs, ts < 1.50, p > .14. Virtual PHP patients identified unique advantages and disadvantages of virtual care. Unique advantages included the convenience of doing therapy from home (reported by 41.92% of respondents), feeling safe and comfortable doing therapy at home (23.74%), reduced barriers to accessing care (7.58), the ability to access to care during the COVID-19 pandemic (6.57%), and specific aspects of the technology helped to facilitate care (4.54%). Unique disadvantages included feeling isolated from other group participants (33.84%), increased distractions (13.64%), technological issues (8.59%), difficulties participating (6.57%), and challenges creating a therapeutic environment in the home (5.05%). Our results suggest that virtual PHPs should be explored as a permanent model of care offered in conjunction with in-person services that could help to systematically reduce barriers to accessing mental health services.