Journal of Telemedicine and Telecare > Volume 14, Number 6 > Pp. 277-281

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EDUCATION & PRACTICE Technology

Emergency telepsychiatry

Peter Yellowlees ^* , Michelle M Burke , Shayna L Marks , Donald M Hilty ^* and Jay H Shore 

^* Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California Davis, Davis, California; Academic Information Systems, University of California Davis School of Medicine, Davis, California; Department of Psychology and Social Behavior, University of California Irvine, Irvine, California; Department of Psychiatry, University of Colorado Denver, Denver, Colorado, USA

Correspondence: Professor Peter Yellowlees, UC Davis, 2450, 48th Street, Suite 2856, Sacramento, CA 95817, USA (Fax: +1 916 457 9588; Email: pmyellowlees{at}ucdavis.edu)

Telepsychiatry can be used in two kinds of psychiatric emergencies: one-time clinical events and public health situations associated with mass disaster. Emergency telepsychiatry delivered by videoconferencing has the potential to improve patient care in many settings. Although experience is limited, it has been found to be safe and effective, as well as satisfactory to both emergency department staff and the psychiatric patients treated. The development of comprehensive and standardized guidelines is necessary. There has been little use of acute telemedicine in disaster situations to date. However, telemedicine is becoming part of routine emergency medical response planning in many jurisdictions. Emergency telepsychiatry has the potential to reduce emergency department overcrowding, provide much needed care in rural areas and improve access to psychiatric care in the event of a natural or manmade disaster.

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