Copyright: ©Author(s) 2026. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license. No commercial re-use. See permissions. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc.
World J Psychiatry. Jul 19, 2026; 16(7): 118712
Published online Jul 19, 2026. doi: 10.5498/wjp.118712
Published online Jul 19, 2026. doi: 10.5498/wjp.118712
Bridging the gap: Virtual psychiatric transition of care from acute to outpatient settings
Jason Roberge, Nicole Blair, Alyssa Hajjar, John Waller, Oleg V Tcheremissine, Department of Psychiatry, Atrium Health, Charlotte, NC 28211, United States
Author contributions: Roberge J acquired the data and performed the statistical analysis; Roberge J, Blair N, and Hajjar A, and Waller J had full access to all the data in the study and take responsibility for the integrity of the data and the accuracy of the data analysis; Roberge J, Blair N, Hajjar A, Waller J, and Tcheremissine OV drafted the manuscript and provided critical revisions for important intellectual content; Blair N, Hajjar A, and Waller J designed and managed the virtual psychiatric transition of care program. All authors approval the final manuscript.
AI contribution statement: Microsoft 365 was used on some sections after the paper was written and edited for language polishing. We did not run the whole paper through AI. No portion of this manuscript was AI generated. An AI tool was not used for translation or data analysis. No AI tool was used for the design of the study or interpretation of the results. No tables or images were generated by an AI tool.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
PRISMA 2009 Checklist statement: The authors have read the PRISMA 2009 Checklist, and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the PRISMA 2009 Checklist.
Corresponding author: Jason Roberge, PhD, MPH, Department of Psychiatry, Atrium Health, 501 Billingsley Road, Charlotte, NC 28211, United States. jason.roberge@advocatehealth.org
Received: January 9, 2026
Revised: February 26, 2026
Accepted: March 23, 2026
Published online: July 19, 2026
Processing time: 167 Days and 22.9 Hours
Revised: February 26, 2026
Accepted: March 23, 2026
Published online: July 19, 2026
Processing time: 167 Days and 22.9 Hours
Core Tip
Core Tip: A virtual care program has the potential to strengthen postdischarge support for individuals living with mental illness by expanding access to timely care, reducing the risk of suicide, and decreasing dependence on high-cost acute services. Through structured follow-up and coordinated communication, the virtual psychiatric transition of care program helps patients successfully engage with outpatient providers, promoting sustained recovery, continuity of treatment, and long-term psychological well-being.