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TELEPSYCHIATRY
Telepsychiatry is the use of communication and information
technologies to provide psychiatry care or support from a distance.1
The communication modules that could be used include phones, fax, e-mail, the
Internet, still imaging and live interactive 2-way audio-video communication.2
Live interactive 2-way audio-video communication, also known
as video conferencing, is the main communication tool used in telepsychiatry.
There is a wide range of video systems in use and they vary in cost of system,
the cost of use and in the degree of resolution of the video image. On one end
of the spectrum, there are systems that use video cameras at both ends of the
communicating sites, personal computers with video monitor and high-speed
communication networks. The other end would see a system that consists of small
video cameras at both sites, which connect to television receivers and use a
telephone line for communication and transmission.
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Whatever the set-up of the video system, video conferencing
can be used for primary and secondary clinical consultative sessions.
Telepsychiatry can also be used to deliver the following services:3
- Assessments and diagnosis
- Treatment
- Psychological testing
- Medicolegal assessments
- Case conferencing and management
- Education – continuing education and supervision
- Support
- Administration and data transfer
- Research
Healthcare personnel involved in telepsychiatry should ensure
that patient’s privacy and confidentiality of communication are upheld. The
medical records obtained from telepsychiatry sessions should be maintained with
the same standards as those acquired from face-to-face consultations.
Governing bodies within individual countries where it is
practised sets guidelines on how telepsychiatry should be practised. In the
United States, the American Psychiatry Association
sets the guidelines for the practice of telepsychiatry.
References
-
Turner, Jeanine Warisse. [WWW] Telepsychiatry as a Case Study
of Presence: Do You Know What You Are Missing? JCMC. 2001 July;6(4).
http://www.ascusc.org/jcmc/vol6/issue4/turner.html (25TH September
2003).
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Hilty, D. M.; et al. Telepsychiatry: an overview for
psychiatrists. CNS Drugs. 2002;16(8):527-48.
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The Department of Psychiatry, University of Western Ontario.
[WWW] Telepsychiatry Guidelines and Procedures for Clinical Activities.
http://www.psychiatry.med.uwo.ca/ecp/info/toronto/telepsych/
telepsychguide.html (25TH September 2003).
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Telepsychiatry
Useful information on telepsychiatry from the American Psychiatric Association.
http://www.psych.org/pract_of_psych/telepsych.cfm
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