Telemedicine is fast becoming one of the most popular ways for physicians to treat patients who live far from hospitals or may be too ill, or embarrassed, to visit the office in person. But a surprising new use is emerging, and it’s the way healthcare providers are supporting patients in detox who are in early recovery, a critical time for these patients.
According to Emily Battaglia, “The first few months and even years can be a disorienting time. After spending years using drugs or alcohol to cope, to make feelings go away, or to artificially supply certain emotions, individuals must go through a period of readjustment. Experiencing and coping with natural emotional highs and lows on a daily basis without resorting to substance use is a crucial part of recovery.”
Patients can only do this through receiving support from experts. But sometimes, it’s not that easy.
“For patients in early recovery who require extended care, distance treatment offers the privacy and convenience they need to continue treatment after they’ve returned home from primary care treatment -- filling a much-needed gap in the addiction treatment field,” said Lionrock Recovery CEO Peter Loeb. Lionrock is a medical and behavioral health facility in Mountain View, Calif.
Simply put, therapist and patient hook up through video conference, rather than physically meeting at an onsite care facility.
Loeb noted that this kind of care attracts “friends and family” in crisis who need to get loved ones into an immediate program, helping “by mitigating push back/excuses and embarrassment from patients not quite ready to take the plunge of going away to a detox center.”
Statistics say that the use of heroin by young people between the ages of 12 is up 80 percent over the past decade, and telemedicine can provide the “safe haven, embarrassment-free experience distance treatment provides makes it extremely attractive option to early adolescents/young adults and their parents,” according to Loeb.
Prisons are also using this kind of telepsychiatry with inmates, not necessarily addicts, but those whose mental health is at risk.
The benefits of telehealth for people suffering from addiction are many. Patients describe the effect of video conference-based treatment as giving them the feeling that they are in the same room with their group, but also the “safety” of knowing they can opt out in one click. While opting out is rare, patients report that this helps them open up faster, and get more out of their sessions.
Lionrock uses online videoconference technology that is encrypted for security and streamed in high-definition video and all communications are handled by a HIPAA-compliant information system.
Edited by
Amanda Ciccatelli
