Innovative Approaches in Pediatric Psychiatry Evaluating the Effectiveness of Telepsychiatry in Children and Adolescents

Background: Telepsychiatry has the potential to be a viable substitute for in-person consultations, as the frequency of mental health issues in children and adolescents rises. This highlights the need for accessible psychiatric treatment. Objective: The purpose of this research was to compare the efficacy of conventional in-person psychiatric therapy with telepsychiatry in terms of treatment adherence, patient satisfaction, and clinical improvement in pediatric populations. Methodology: A prospective cohort research with 518 individuals aged 5 to 18 years who had been diagnosed with mental problems was carried out from January to December 2023 at Bacha Khan Medical College, Mardan. Either the in-person care group (n=195) or the telepsychiatry group (n=323) received the participants' assignments. The Children's Global Assessment Scale (CGAS) and Clinical Global Impressions (CGI) scores were used to quantify clinical improvement, and structured questionnaires and session attendance records were used to examine patient satisfaction and treatment adherence. Baseline characteristics were summed up using descriptive statistics, and independent t-tests were used to compare clinical outcomes between the two groups for continuous variables. P-values less than 0.05 were regarded as statistically significant. Results: Both groups exhibited significant clinical improvements over 12 months. The telepsychiatry group (n=323) demonstrated an increase in CGAS scores from a baseline of 45.25 (SD ±10.37) to 78.62 (SD ±5.37) (p=0.048), while the in-person care group (n=195) improved from 44.81 (SD ±10.54) to 80.35 (SD ±4.96) (p=0.048). For patient satisfaction, the telepsychiatry group reported a mean score of 8.29 (SD ±1.58), compared to 8.53 (SD ±1.37) in the in-person group (p=0.211). Treatment adherence rates were 80.86% in the telepsychiatry group (1,310 of 1,620 sessions attended) and 84.52% in the in-person group (989 of 1,170 sessions attended). Overall, 186 participants (57.58%) in the telepsychiatry group reported significant clinical improvement compared to 119 participants (61.02%) in the in-person care group (p=0.134). Conclusion: Telepsychiatry is an effective alternative to traditional care for children and adolescents, yielding comparable clinical outcomes and patient satisfaction while improving access to mental health services. Keywords: telepsychiatry, pediatric psychiatry, mental health, clinical outcomes, patient satisfaction, treatment adherence.