As telecommunication technologies have become more widely available and affordable, opportunities for psychologists to engage in telebehavioral health (TBH) have expanded greatly. A national sample of 164 professional psychologists completed a 28-item survey focusing on (a) current and anticipated use of telecommunication technologies in delivering TBH services, (b) types of telecommunication modalities currently used in clinical practice, (c) ethical and legal/regulatory concerns related to delivery of TBH services, and (d) educational and training needs for TBH practice. Associations between demographic factors (i.e., age, gender, practice setting, practice region, and years since completion of highest academic degree) and responses on survey items were examined. In descending order, the technologies most commonly used by psychologists were: landline telephone, mobile telephone, e-mail, and videoconferencing. A lower proportion of psychologists working in public settings used landline telephones, mobile telephones, or e-mail to deliver TBH than that of psychologists engaged in independent practice. In regard to respondents’ age, the proportion of psychologists delivering TBH collapsed across technologies was substantially higher among respondents 37 years of age or older compared with that of 36-year-olds or younger. Respondents also noted several ethical/legal barriers in providing TBH services, particularly managing emergencies, licensure requirements, and uncertainties about security, as well as confidentiality, Health Insurance Portability and Account Act (HIPAA) compliance, and malpractice insurance coverage. Overall, a substantial discrepancy was noted between psychologists’ positive appraisals of TBH and actual implementation, underscoring the ongoing barriers in the adoption of telehealth technologies in practice. Future directions addressed the need for training and education in TBH best practices.

中文翻译：

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心理学家远程行为健康实践调查：技术使用、伦理问题和培训需求。

随着电信技术变得更加普及和负担得起，心理学家从事远程行为健康 (TBH) 的机会大大增加。由 164 名专业心理学家组成的全国样本完成了一项 28 项调查，重点是 (a) 当前和预​​期使用电信技术提供 TBH 服务，(b) 目前临床实践中使用的电信方式类型，(c) 道德和法律/与提供 TBH 服务相关的监管问题，以及 (d) TBH 实践的教育和培训需求。检查了人口因素（即年龄、性别、实践环境、实践区域和完成最高学位后的年数）与对调查项目的反应之间的关联。按降序排列，心理学家最常用的技术是：固定电话、移动电话、电子邮件和视频会议。在公共场所工作的心理学家使用固定电话、移动电话或电子邮件来提供 TBH 的比例低于从事独立实践的心理学家。在受访者的年龄方面，与 36 岁或更年轻的受访者相比，37 岁或以上受访者中提供跨技术崩溃的 TBH 的心理学家比例要高得多。受访者还指出，在提供 TBH 服务方面存在一些道德/法律障碍，特别是管理紧急情况、许可要求和安全不确定性，以及保密性、健康保险流通和账户法案 (HIPAA) 合规性以及医疗事故保险范围。全面的，注意到心理学家对 TBH 的积极评价与实际实施之间存在很大差异，这突显了在实践中采用远程医疗技术方面存在的持续障碍。未来的方向解决了 TBH 最佳实践培训和教育的需要。