Virtual and In-Person Psychiatric Care: Appointment Completion and Capacity Use in a Public Mental Health Service in Peru
Year: 2026
Type: preprint
Abstract: Objective: To compare appointment completion and offered-slot utilization between virtual and in-person outpatient psychiatric care in Peru. Methods: We conducted a retrospective ecological longitudinal study using routinely collected monthly aggregate administrative indicators from January 2022 through June 2026, with modality-month as the unit. Virtual-minus-in-person differences and 95% confidence intervals were estimated using Newey-West standard errors with 12 lags. June 2026 was partial; slot utilization was restricted to 2024-2026. Results: Across 54 paired months, mean completion was 90.9% (SD=3.9) for virtual and 83.8% (SD=2.7) for in-person care; difference +7.2 percentage points (95% CI=4.4-9.9). Across 30 paired months, slot utilization was 73.0% (SD=8.3) and 90.5% (SD=3.8), respectively; difference -17.5 percentage points (95% CI=-24.5 to -10.4). Sensitivity analyses were similar. Conclusions: Virtual care had higher completion but lower slot utilization. Attendance and capacity use should be evaluated separately when planning hybrid psychiatric services.
Source: medRxiv
Language: English
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7212239392