Measures taken to reduce the rate of contagion during the first months of the COVID-19 pandemic in Spain led to the interruption of nursing interventions for many patients with serious mental illness (SMI), while others stayed in touch with their nurses telematically. However, published research into the impact of mental telehealth and the outcome of the changes that took place in the pandemic is very limited. Aim: The aim of this study was to analyze the changes in nursing interventions received by severe mental illness (SMI) patients and to test whether telemental health (TH) has been effective in reducing relapses during the COVID-19 pandemic. Materials and methods: Information was gathered retrospectively from about 270 patients under treatment at 15 mental health day hospitals (MHDHs) in Spain during the year 2020. Results: Face-to-face nursing interventions were found to have decreased and TH interventions were found to have increased in the first few months of the pandemic. In the following months, TH interventions-especially those conducted by video call-helped reduce the number of relapses. Conclusions: TH helps provide news forms of effective telematic nursing interventions that reduce the number of relapses and admissions in patients with serious mental health disorders.
Keywords: nursing; serious mental illness; telemental health.