Telepsychiatry
Encyclopedia
Telepsychiatry is the application of Telemedicine
to the field of Psychiatry
.
It has been the most successful of all the telemedicine applications so far, because of its need for only a good videoconferencing
facility between the patient
and the psychiatrist
, especially for follow-up. There are sub-specialties like forensic telepsychiatry, in which the patient is typically an inmate accessing the psychiatrist who is from a supporting institution, and home-based telepsychiatry, whereby the patient is in his own home or office, accessing the physician via webcam and high-speed internet. Another common application is for patients in rural or underserved areas, and there are a large number of grass roots telepsychiatry programs springing up in the United States and elsewhere to address this problem. In the U.S., Medicare and the various state Medicaids, as well as nearly all private health insurance providers, pay equally for telepsychiatry as for face to face psychiatric medication management visits.
A recent innovation is the development of the subspecialty of emergency psychiatry via telemedicine
. Research is currently on-going to develop the unique guidelines required to provide consultation for emergency psychiatric patients such as the evaluation of the suicidal, homidical, violent, psychotic, depressed, manic
, and acutely anxious patient. Emergency telepsychiatry services are being provided to hospital emergency departments, jails, community mental health centers, substance abuse treatment facilities, and schools.
Telemedicine
Telemedicine is the use of telecommunication and information technologies in order to provide clinical health care at a distance. It helps eliminate distance barriers and can improve access to medical services that would often not be consistently available in distant rural communities...
to the field of Psychiatry
Psychiatry
Psychiatry is the medical specialty devoted to the study and treatment of mental disorders. These mental disorders include various affective, behavioural, cognitive and perceptual abnormalities...
.
It has been the most successful of all the telemedicine applications so far, because of its need for only a good videoconferencing
Videoconferencing
Videoconferencing is the conduct of a videoconference by a set of telecommunication technologies which allow two or more locations to interact via two-way video and audio transmissions simultaneously...
facility between the patient
Patient
A patient is any recipient of healthcare services. The patient is most often ill or injured and in need of treatment by a physician, advanced practice registered nurse, veterinarian, or other health care provider....
and the psychiatrist
Psychiatrist
A psychiatrist is a physician who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders. All psychiatrists are trained in diagnostic evaluation and in psychotherapy...
, especially for follow-up. There are sub-specialties like forensic telepsychiatry, in which the patient is typically an inmate accessing the psychiatrist who is from a supporting institution, and home-based telepsychiatry, whereby the patient is in his own home or office, accessing the physician via webcam and high-speed internet. Another common application is for patients in rural or underserved areas, and there are a large number of grass roots telepsychiatry programs springing up in the United States and elsewhere to address this problem. In the U.S., Medicare and the various state Medicaids, as well as nearly all private health insurance providers, pay equally for telepsychiatry as for face to face psychiatric medication management visits.
A recent innovation is the development of the subspecialty of emergency psychiatry via telemedicine
Telemedicine
Telemedicine is the use of telecommunication and information technologies in order to provide clinical health care at a distance. It helps eliminate distance barriers and can improve access to medical services that would often not be consistently available in distant rural communities...
. Research is currently on-going to develop the unique guidelines required to provide consultation for emergency psychiatric patients such as the evaluation of the suicidal, homidical, violent, psychotic, depressed, manic
Manic
Manić is a suburban settlement of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. It is located in the municipality of Barajevo.Manić developed on the eastern slopes of the Kosmaj mountain...
, and acutely anxious patient. Emergency telepsychiatry services are being provided to hospital emergency departments, jails, community mental health centers, substance abuse treatment facilities, and schools.
External links
- Telemental Health Guide
-
http://www.cpa-apc.org/publications/archives/Bulletin/2003/october/hilty.asp A review on the effectiveness - Some related links
- A feasibility study
- American Association for Emergency Psychiatry
- http://www.telelive.org
- Voyager Telepsychiatry
- JSA Health Telepsychiatry