Assessment of Mental Health Through Telemedicine or Telecare

Jan. 15, 2013 - PRLog -- Telemedicine is the use of electronic communication and information technology to remotely administer healthcare services and education. Telecare is a more specific term than telemedicine, which refers to the use of telecommunications technology that allows a patient to stay safe and independent in his or her own home.

Both telemedicine and telecare have a wide range of applications. Increasingly, remote medicine is being used to assess and treat mental health conditions and disorders, a field known as telepsychiatry or telemental health.

One group on the forefront of discovering just how effective remote medicine can be for the treatment of mental health is the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs (VA). Many soldiers return from military tours in need of mental health services for conditions such as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD. Often, these veterans live in remote areas and have little access to proper care. For this reason, the VA is keenly interested in the potential of telemedicine and telecare as a tool to help treat veterans who otherwise would not receive the treatment they urgently need.

Accurate assessment of PTSD and other mental health disorders is essential to effective treatment. Research shows that video conferencing and face-to-face methods for PTSD assessments yield comparable results, and patients expressed satisfaction with the video conferencing assessments.

Telespsychiatry is a relatively new method of delivering mental health services, but has the potential to offer significant benefits to a large number of mental health patients who may otherwise go untreated.

GlobalMed, a leading telemedicine technology company in Scottsdale, Arizona, has been providing advanced telemedicine and telecare solutions for over a decade. The telemedicine products available at GlobalMed have a wide range of applications in telepsychiatry and telemental health. Visit http://www.globalmed.com/products.php (http://globalmed.com/products.php) to learn more about the innovative telehealth products available at GlobalMed.

About GlobalMed

GlobalMed’s solutions are designed to be interoperable and customizable for healthcare providers, enabling lowered costs, increased access, and enhanced quality of care that collectively improve patient satisfaction. From high-definition exam cameras to real-time, cloud-based PACS, our compliant telemedicine solutions meet the medical data and image delivery needs of a full range of healthcare specialties. Products include the TotalExam™ Camera, CapSure® Image Automation Software, and fully integrated mobile telemedicine systems for primary care applications. GlobalMed’s position in the market has been recognized by its ranking as the Number 7 fastest growing health company on the 2012 Inc. 500 List, and Number 95 overall. For more information, visit http://www.globalmed.com or call +1.480.922.0044.