The LA Times, this morning has an article about using Skype for tele-psychiatry sessions, something that has been debated for a long time. Excerpt:
Dr. Nilesh Shah, director of telemedicine for the VA San Diego, is blunt about his assessment of the method, particularly in helping the growing number of VA patients that need long-term management for conditions like PTSD, diabetes or obesity.
“It’s the future,” he said.
In the past nine months, 240 veterans served by the VA San Diego have had nearly 900 therapy sessions for PTSD using videoconferencing.
In most cases, the patient came to a VA clinic where the technology was already in place to meet with a therapist located elsewhere. For a few patients, like Moreno Garcia, sessions were done in their homes using Cisco Jabber or Skype.
The veterans are spread throughout California. The program is being extended to veterans in Nevada, Oregon and Alaska.
Initial studies about the effectiveness of the videoconferencing approach have been positive, according to Steven Thorp, a clinical psychologist for the VA San Diego. He was the lead researcher in a recent study of 207 veterans enrolled in a 12-week course of PTSD therapy.
The full article is here.
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