Evaluation of a Canadian telepsychiatry service.

A telepsychiatry pilot project linking five rural general hospitals and Alberta Hospital Ponoka was implemented in June 1996 as a response to both a scarcity of psychiatric resources in the Province of Alberta and the emphasis on community-based care. Psychiatrists located at Alberta Hospital Ponoka provided psychiatric consultations using videoconferencing technology in response to referrals from general practitioners. The project was evaluated through the use of questionnaires administered to consumers, service providers, and psychiatric consultants. Questionnaires were supplemented by interviews, site visits, logs, telephone interviews with consumers, and surveys to general practitioners at the rural sites. A total of 109 consultations occurred during the pilot stage. Results strongly suggested acceptance and satisfaction with the consultation by consumers, general practitioners and psychiatrists. The patient's perceived benefits included timeliness of service, service within their own community, decreased work time loss for self or family, and positive outcomes as a result of specialist expertise. Up until September 30, 1998 a total of 535 consultations had been completed, 381 of which were new referrals and 154 of which were follow up referrals. Seventy-two different physicians referred to the service. The practice profile is dramatically different to outpatient psychiatric practice in which approximately 90% of patient contacts are follow-up visits.