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Telepsychiatry in Chennai, India: The SCARF experience
Author(s) -
Thara Rangaswamy,
John Sujit,
Rao Kotteswara
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
behavioral sciences and the law
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.649
H-Index - 74
eISSN - 1099-0798
pISSN - 0735-3936
DOI - 10.1002/bsl.816
Subject(s) - telepsychiatry , telemedicine , government (linguistics) , mental health , health care , medicine , population , private sector , accountability , psychiatry , political science , environmental health , linguistics , philosophy , law
India, with its huge population and limited mental health resources, must find alternative ways of delivering its mental healthcare services. Telepsychiatry seems to be a promising option even with no regulatory authority in place or specific laws in India that deal with telemedicine practice, there has been a mushrooming of telemedicine services in India. Healthy cooperation between government organizations such as the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) and institutions in the non‐government and private sectors is another key feature in India. The experience of the Schizophrenia Research Foundation (SCARF), at Chennai, in South India, in running and establishing a telepsychiatry network is presented in this article. We identified the following tasks as essential to ensure an efficient intervention using telemedicine: identifying a suitable technology, a suitable location, and a local collaborator; providing training and creating awareness; establishing peripheral telepsychiatry centers and ensuring case documentation; and accountability. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.