Urban telepsychiatry: uncommon service for a common need

Abstract

Psychiatry is a particularly good specialty to provide by telemedicine. The psychiatric interaction translates very well to the interactive video medium and typically does not require any peripheral medical devices for the consultation compared with other specialties. Although telemedicine is most often thought of as strictly a rural health tool for solving health care shortages, it has sometimes been used to improve access to many health specialists in urban areas of the United States. An urban infrastructure can be more supportive of telehealth from technical and clinical support perspectives, particularly in special or emergent situations. This article highlights the Kansas practice and reviews other urban applications of telepsychiatry.