Attitudes Toward Video Consultations From the Perspective of Physicians and Psychotherapists in German Outpatient Care After the COVID-19 Pandemic: Survey Study

Background: Although video consultations (VCs) are permitted in German outpatient care and have seen a notable rise during the COVID-19 pandemic, their use still does not seem to have become established in Germany. Objective: This survey aims to evaluate the attitudes of physicians and psychotherapists with regard to the use of VC after the COVID-19 pandemic, in particular in the context of types of treatment and suitable medical fields. Methods: A standardized questionnaire was sent out to all 34,095 physicians and psychotherapists in 4 German regions. The analysis consisted of both descriptive and inferential statistics. Subgroup analysis included gender, age groups, community size of practice location, VC experience, type and ownership of practice, and area of medical care. Binary logistic regression was conducted to determine whether physicians' and psychotherapists' individual factors, organizational factors, or area of medical care were associated with at least monthly VC provision or interest in VC provision. Results: The response rate was 17.9%, including a total of 5930 participants in the analysis. About 40% (2216/5863) of the physicians and psychotherapists surveyed stated that they offer VC at least once a month. In the area of medical care, the odds ratio (OR) of at least monthly VC provision in psychotherapeutic care was about 8.2 (95% CI 7.4-1.64; P