Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland
Browse

Telemental health: an effective solution for increasing access to rural mental healthcare

Download (128.64 kB)
journal contribution
posted on 2024-06-04, 13:08 authored by India Dhillon

Access to quality mental healthcare in rural America is a persistent challenge that results in significantly worsened patient outcomes. The mental healthcare crisis is exacerbated by geographical isolation, limited resources, and a shortage of mental health professionals. One emerging solution to combat this crisis is the use of telemental health (TMH), or the use of technology such as video or phone consultations for mental healthcare. TMH improves accessibility, mitigates stigma, and provides an efficacious treatment modality for the patient. While the use of TMH in rural America is promising, barriers to its widespread implementation include clinician uptake, accessibility, and network connectivity. Further research is needed to explore the role of TMH in treating more complex psychiatric conditions in rural settings, which could have far-reaching implications for bridging the mental healthcare gap in rural America.

History

Comments

The original article is available at http://www.rcsismj.com/

Published Citation

Dhillon I. Telemental health: an effective solution for increasing access to rural mental healthcare. RCSIsmj. 2024;17(1):102-104

Publication Date

2024

Department/Unit

  • Undergraduate Research

Publisher

RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences

Version

  • Published Version (Version of Record)