A review of the first five years of the University of Arizona telepsychiatry programme.
We performed a retrospective review of the first five years of activity in the University of Arizona Telepsychiatry Programme. The programme began in 1998 as part of a telemedicine service for underserved rural areas. Over the first five years, 1086 teleconsultations were carried out for a total of 206 patients. There were 159 adult (77%) and 47 paediatric patients (23%). During the study period, the racial/ethnic diversity of the paediatric patients increased, as did the number of follow-up visits for adult patients (average 5.3/patient). These trends suggested that telepsychiatry became an integral part of the mental health service system at the six referring sites. Adult patients completed 81 satisfaction surveys (51%) and psychiatrists completed 47 (23%). The responses showed that providers and patients found telepsychiatry services satisfactory, although in a minority of teleconsultations (18% for providers and 17% for patients) equipment problems were distracting. The continued use of the services suggests that the telepsychiatry programme fills a service gap in rural areas of the state.
Cruz
Mario
M
Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA. cruzm@upmc.edu
Krupinski
Elizabeth A
EA
Lopez
Ana Maria
AM
Weinstein
Ronald S
RS
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001071:Appointments and Schedules; D001130:Arizona; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis; D008605:Mental Health Services; D008875:Middle Aged; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D017216:Telemedicine; D014495:Universities