Open AccessTelepsychiatry in South Africa – present and future
Author(s) -
S. Wynchank,
Jill Fortuin
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
south african journal of psychiatry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.425
H-Index - 13
eISSN - 2078-6786
pISSN - 1608-9685
DOI - 10.4102/sajpsychiatry.v16i1.231
Subject(s) - telepsychiatry , videoconferencing , prison , relevance (law) , medicine , medical education , telemedicine , psychiatry , psychology , health care , political science , engineering , telecommunications , criminology , law
The recent progress in telepsychiatry results from advancing technology and videoconferencing as an effective alternative to classic face-to-face psychiatric interaction, in terms of both results and cost-effectiveness. The wide range of applications of telepsychiatry is outlined – in particular, emergency, forensic, prison and adolescent psychiatry. Attitudes of patients and the providers of psychiatric services are discussed, and a short account is given of the place of tele-education in psychiatric teaching. The advantages of telepsychiatry are outlined and its limitations. Lastly, the limited experience and relevance of telepsychiatry in South Africa (and hence for other developing countries) are presented. The conclusion is that telepsychiatry is well established, its successes documented, and that it should be applied in planning future public health services in South Africa