Telemedicine for intensive support of psychiatric inpatients admitted to local hospitals.

A service was developed to treat acute psychiatric inpatients in their local hospitals using telemedicine. This reduced the need for these patients to be transferred to a psychiatric facility in Adelaide. An evaluation of outcomes showed that it was possible to manage acute psychiatric patients in this manner, reducing costs of transport. In addition, patients were treated close to their homes. Patients rated their satisfaction with the service and the use of telemedicine very highly.