Journal of Telemedicine and Telecare > Volume 14, Number 6 > Pp. 275-276

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LEADER Focus

Telemedicine can improve the health of youths in detention

Karen C Fox  and Anna Lyn Whitt

Delta Health Alliance, Stoneville, Mississippi, USA

Correspondence: Dr Karen C Fox, Delta Health Alliance, 435 Stoneville Road, Stoneville, MS 38677, USA (Fax: +1 662 686 3522; Email: kfox{at}deltahealthalliance.org)

Young people in correctional care facilities often have physical or psychological disorders that contribute to their behavioural problems. In the US, the need for medical services in youth facilities far exceeds current resources, especially for paediatric mental health and specialty services. There is obvious potential for telemedicine to improve access to care and thus the level of health care for juvenile detainees. A few studies have indicated that in specific instances telemedicine has improved access to care, referrals, contact between providers, and has also reduced unnecessary referrals. The question remains, however, whether this improved access and timeliness to care has any effect on the major goals of the incarceration: treatment, education and rehabilitation. Further investigation of this linkage is needed.

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