Telepsychiatry Overview

Principles

Definition

Telepsychiatry is a research field and clinical methodology dedicated to investigating the application of telecommunications technologies for delivering psychiatric services, encompassing diagnosis, treatment, and consultation. It explores the efficacy, accessibility, ethical considerations, and implementation challenges of providing mental healthcare remotely, holding significance for expanding access and innovating service delivery models.

Ontological type

Clinical Effectiveness

Service Modalities

Access and Equity

Key developments

Key Figures

Early Implementation era

Carl May [1] is associated with University College London [3] and University of Glasgow [4] during the early telepsychiatry era. His key contributions include the paper Resisting and promoting new technologies in clinical practice: the case of telepsychiatry [7], which analyzes how clinicians and organizations negotiate adoption and highlights barriers and facilitators shaping early implementation. David Hailey [2] is associated with The University of Queensland [5] and University of Alberta [6] in this era. His contributions include Telepsychiatry as a routine service - the perspective of the patient [8] and Evaluation of a routine telepsychiatry service [9], which together foreground patient-centered perspectives and formative evaluation to advance scalable routine services.

Evidence and Standards era

B. Christopher Frueh [1] has been active at Harvard University [3] and Baylor College of Medicine [4] during this era. His key contributions include the randomized trial of telepsychiatry for post-traumatic stress disorder [7] and Current directions in videoconferencing tele-mental health research [6], which collectively helped build the evidence base supporting broader uptake and informing standards in telepsychiatry. Leonard E. Egede [2] is associated with Medical University of South Carolina [5] during this era. His contribution centers on the 2009 paper Current directions in videoconferencing tele-mental health research [6], reinforcing the evidence base and supporting standards for telepsychiatry practice within diverse care settings.

Rapid System Scale-up era

Robin Ohannessian [1] is associated with Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1 [3] and Université de Bourgogne [4] during the Rapid System Scale-up era. His paper, Global Telemedicine Implementation and Integration Within Health Systems to Fight the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Call to Action [7], argues for rapid, system-wide telemedicine integration to strengthen health systems during the pandemic, a key driver of scalability and policy alignment in this era. Paul B. Perrin [2] is affiliated with Harvard University [5] and The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center [6] during this era. His study, The COVID-19 telepsychology revolution: A national study of pandemic-based changes in U.S. mental health care delivery [8], analyzes shifts in mental health care delivery driven by telepsychology and informs policy, reimbursement, and service design essential to scalable remote care.