Current Directions in Videoconferencing Tele-Mental Health Research |
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| Authors: | Lisa K. Richardson B. Christopher Frueh Anouk L. Grubaugh Leonard Egede Jon D. Elhai |
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| Affiliation: | School of Psychology, Murdoch UniversityThe Menninger Clinic and Baylor College of MedicineRalph H. Johnson Veterans Affairs Medical Center and Department of Psychiatry &Behavioural Sciences, Medical University of South CarolinaRalph H. Johnson Veterans Affairs Medical Center and Department of Medicine, Medical University of South CarolinaDepartment of Psychology, University of South Dakota |
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| Abstract: | The provision of mental health services via videoconferencing tele-mental health has become an increasingly routine component of mental health service delivery throughout the world. Emphasizing the research literature since 2003, we examine (a) the extent to which the field of tele-mental health has advanced the research agenda previously suggested and (b) implications for tele-mental healthcare delivery for special clinical populations. Previous findings have demonstrated that tele-mental health services are satisfactory to patients, improve outcomes, and are probably cost effective. In the very small number of randomized controlled studies that have been conducted to date, tele-mental health has demonstrated equivalent efficacy compared to face-to-face care in a variety of clinical settings and with specific patient populations. However, methodologically flawed or limited research studies are the norm, and thus the research agenda for tele-mental health has not been fully maximized. Implications for future research and practice are discussed. |
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| Keywords: | access-to-care mental health care rural service delivery tele-mental health telepsychiatry telepsychology videoconferencing |
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