What is Telemedicine and Telepsychiatry?

Telemedicine

Telemedicine is a general term that covers all of the ways you and your doctor can use technology to communicate without being in the same room. It includes phone calls, video chats, emails, and text messages. People also call it telehealth, digital medicine, e-health, or m-health (for “mobile”).

Telepsychiatry

Telepsychiatry a subset of telemedicine, can involve providing a range of services including psychiatric evaluations, therapy (individual therapy, group therapy, and family therapy), patient education and medication management. This option is ideal for those too ill to leave their house, too far to visit our location, or too encumbered by work to see their psychiatrist during the day.

What are the Benefits of Telepsychiatry

Video-based telepsychiatry helps meet patients’ needs for convenient, affordable and readily-accessible mental health services. It can benefit patients in a number of ways, such as:

  • Improve access to mental health specialty care that might not otherwise be available (e.g., in rural areas)
  • Bring care to the patient’s location
  • Help integrate behavioral health care and primary care, leading to better outcomes
  • Reduce the need for trips to the emergency room
  • Reduce delays in care
  • Improve continuity of care and follow-up
  • Reduce the need for time off work, childcare services, etc. to access appointments far away
  • Reduce potential transportation barriers, such as lack of transportation or the need for long drives
  • Reduce the barrier of stigma

Evidence for Effectiveness

There is substantial evidence of the effectiveness of telepsychiatry and research has found satisfaction to be high among patients, psychiatrists and other professionals. telepsychiatry is equivalent to in-person care in diagnostic accuracy, treatment effectiveness, quality of care and patient satisfaction. Patient privacy and confidentiality are equivalent to in-person care.

Research has also found that overall experiences among all age groups have been good. There is evidence for children, adolescents and adults regarding assessment and treatment (medication and therapy). There are even people for which telemedicine may be preferable to in-person care, for example people with autism or severe anxiety disorders and patients with physical limitations may find the remote treatment particularly useful.

Telepsychiatry has been found especially effective with respect to the treatment of PTSD, depression, and ADHD.

While some people may be reluctant or feel awkward talking to person in a screen, experience shows most people are comfortable with it. Some people may be more relaxed and willing to open up from the comfort of their home or a convenient local facility. Also, this will likely be less of a problem as people become more familiar and comfortable with video communication in everyday life.

Although telepsychiatry has the disadvantage of the patient and psychiatrist not being in the same room, it can create enhanced feelings of safety, security and privacy for many patients.

Please ask your provider if you are a candidate for Telemedicine!