Telemedicine and Pyschiatry? Surprisingly, It Works

One hospital has come up with a unique way to deal with the shortage of psychiatrists nationwide, and at the same time provide greater access to healthcare for those who may not always be able to get it.

St. Mary's Health Center in Jefferson City, Mo., this week announced new behavioral health technology, and an expanded inpatient unit, that will use telemedicine to allow patients to visit with doctors remotely, live over a video link, according to a story by Meghan Kelly. Patients can then receive follow-up treatment by hospital staff.

"Nationwide, there's a shortage of psychiatrists,” St. Mary's Hospital's psychiatric director John Clemens told Kelly. “As a result of that, we've had a very hard time recruiting psychiatrists. This kind of alleviates some of that stress and need because we can have doctors from outside of the area provide psychiatric services here on the unit, via telemedicine."

The continuing cuts to mental health services in the public sector have put great stress on existing resources, Dr. Kevin Goeta-Kreisler, an Arizona psychiatrist who specializes in working with older patients, wrote in a recent report, according to a story by Stephanie Innes. He added that this makes it increasingly tougher to help the growing number of people who need it.

Pyschiatry is one of the top three uses of telemedicine, according to a telemedicine FAQ. The other two are radiology and dermatology.

Telemedicine has been described as “healthcare at a distance.” But isn’t it better to see a mental health worker in person? According to Paul McLaren, most patients find the technology “acceptable,” like the convenience and ease of not having to travel, and actually find it less upsetting than was originally predicted by healthcare professionals.

Others may see it a little differently. “Some patients are skeptical of doc(tors) who need a computer to help them make a diagnosis,” says the story, which was re-blogged from Telemedicine and e-Health. And some healthcare providers are leery of being seen as too reliant on technology.

But technology is here to stay and it’s most likely only a matter of time before it will seem more normal than actually visiting a doctor in person!