Turning COVID-19 into Opportunity: eHealth Competencies, Potential and Challenges of Providing Remote Mental Healthcare in Kosovo: A Convergent Parallel Mixed Methods Study

The COVID-19 pandemic has favored the rapid adoption of digital solutions into mental healthcare services. This study investigates the competency of mental healthcare providers delivering eMental Health services in Kosovo, exploring advantages, disadvantages, and factors influencing remote service implementation. Employing a convergent parallel design mixed method, the study involved 197 mental healthcare providers (57% female, 42% male) who responded to demographic questions and the eHealth Competency Scale; and 24 mental healthcare providers (18 psychologists, 6 psychiatrists) who participated in semistructured interviews. Quantitative data were analyzed using IBM SPSS, while inductive thematic analysis identified implications of delivering remote services by categorizing themes extracted from the interviews. The results indicate that mental healthcare providers are competent in delivering remote service. Notably, psychologists and psychiatrists exhibit significant differences in digital tool usage (Z = −3.503; p = .001), as well as females and males in self-efficacy (Z = −2.29; p = .02) and digital tool usage (Z = −3.14; p = .02). Also, 80.1% of study participants reported a lack of guidance for digital tools, and 62.8% noted the absence of established digital care standards. Qualitative analysis yields five major themes: (1) (In) Efficiency, (2) Therapist skills, (3) Relationship with client, (4) Ethical/legal considerations, and (5) (In) capacities to deliver remote services-highlighting the absence of guidelines and standards as the most challenging part of assistance. The implementation of eMental healthcare encounters enduring and significant challenges. Rather than serving as a replacement for face-to-face care, it is imperative to recognize eMental healthcare as a complementary dimension of client/patient care.