Evaluation of a rural telepsychiatry service.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate a telepsychiatry clinical service to Wagga Wagga in rural New South Wales, comprising a face-to-face interview with a psychiatrist followed by a telepsychiatry interview with a Sydney-based psychiatrist.


METHODS
Thirty-one patients were referred to a specialist mood disorder clinic in a rural setting for consultation and assessment. A retrospective evaluation was made to determine the acceptance of the teleconferenced psychiatry and face-to-face psychiatry, as well as the overall patient response.


RESULTS
Twenty participants completed all evaluation components. Their results indicated a satisfaction level of 95% with the consultation process as a whole, with 80% happy to use telepsychiatry again and 60% preferring telepsychiatry over travelling to a larger centre for face-to-face consultation. The face-to-face component was satisfactory for 85% of patients while the telepsychiatry component was satisfactory for 72%.


CONCLUSIONS
Although face-to-face psychiatry was preferred by this sample, the telepsychiatry component was highly rated and preferred over travel to larger centres for face-to-face consultation, by residents of rural and remote locations. Certain issues are of more concern in telepsychiatry than face-to-face psychiatry, including confidentiality, rapport, explanation and education.
Greenwood
James
J
School of Rural Health, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia. james.greenwood@unsw.edu.au
Chamberlain
Christie
C
Parker
Gordon
G
D001315:Australia; D006801:Humans; D019964:Mood Disorders / Q000628:therapy*; D017060:Patient Satisfaction / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011570:Psychiatry / Q000379:methods*; D019114:Remote Consultation; D019035:Rural Health Services / Q000592:standards*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D017216:Telemedicine / Q000295:instrumentation*