Impact of telehealth implementation on no-show rates in mental health psychology outpatient services in Qatar: A comparative analysis

Abstract

Previous research has established psychological interventions to be effective in treating mental health disorders and mitigating pandemic-related mental health challenges (World Health Organization, 2022). The escalation in demand for mental health services during the pandemic has strained existing resources, resulting in long wait times for psychotherapy services (American Psychological Association [APA], 2021). A long waiting time is associated with a higher rate of non-attendance in outpatient clinics (Khan et al., 2021). Research has demonstrated that telehealth-delivered psychotherapy is comparable in efficacy to traditional face-to-face care (Hilty et al., 2013). While prior research has explored the utilization of telepsychiatry and its effects on attendance rates in outpatient clinics in Qatar (Karim et al., 2020, Wadoo et al., 2020), data regarding the impact of telehealth implementation on attendance rates in psychology services does not appear to exist across the MENA region.