title: Telepsychiatry evaluation in the north-west of England: preliminary results of a qualitative study.
abstract: A telepsychiatry referral service for patients suffering from anxiety and depression was evaluated from a user perspective. Low-cost video-phones linked a psychiatrist to two general practices in the north-west of England. Quantitative data were collected using a semistructured interview schedule. Twenty-two patients and 13 doctors were interviewed after a video-link consultation. Some users were very positive about the service and recognized its potential benefits, while others were more ambivalent. Patients saw the service as a means of obtaining additional 'expert' advice. General practitioners felt that the service might adversely affect the doctor-patient relationship in psychiatry. Both patients and clinicians recognized that the video-link modified normal interaction. Users need to adapt to this form of communication. An induction session is recommended for both patients and clinicians.
authors.affiliation: School of Primary Care, University of Manchester, UK.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: May
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Gask
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ellis
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Atkinson
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Mair
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Pidd
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Esmail
mesh_terms: D001007:Anxiety / Q000628:therapy; D003863:Depression / Q000628:therapy; D006801:Humans; D008605:Mental Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000592:standards*; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care; D010865:Pilot Projects; D012017:Referral and Consultation / Q000592:standards*; D019114:Remote Consultation / Q000592:standards; D017216:Telemedicine / Q000592:standards*