The increasing demand for mental health services, coupled with challenges such as a shortage of specialists, the geographical dispersion of treatment centers, and the need for continuous care, has led to telepsychiatry systems being considered an innovative and effective solution. However, the development of such systems necessitates precise and standardized information infrastructures. This study aimed to design a Minimum Data Set (MDS) for a telepsychiatry system, adopting a native approach based on specialists’ consensus. This study was conducted using a mixed-methods approach in two phases. In the first phase, an initial list of required data elements related to telepsychiatry services was identified through a review of scientific literature and databases, and subsequently categorized into primary domains. In the second phase, the final set of data elements was agreed upon through two rounds of the Delphi technique, with the participation of specialists. The final data set comprised 103 data elements across 6 main domains: Demographic Information (20 items), Medical and Medication History (19 items), Paraclinical Tests (18 items), Psychosocial Functioning (7 items), Clinical Symptoms, Assessment, and Diagnosis (28 items), and Treatment Plan and Follow-up (11items). This dataset represents various dimensions of the information required for the structured and analyzable delivery of telepsychiatry services. The compiled dataset provides a standardized framework for recording, exchanging, and analyzing psychiatric data within digital health systems. This framework can serve as the foundation for designing national telepsychiatry systems, contributing to the improvement of quality, coordination, and integration of mental health services. Not applicable.
Rahmatizadeh et al. (Wed,) studied this question.