Lauckner C, Whitten P. (2015). The state and sustainability of telepsychiatry programs. Journal of Behavioral Health Services and Research, Advance online publication. PMID: 25794639.
Telepsychiatry programs provide psychiatric care to individuals using electronic communication such as videoconferencing. Although such programs have been studied, little is known about the sustainability of these programs after the completion of the research. In this study, the authors were interested in the sustainability of these programs and examined this issue by conducting a systematic review of telepsychiatry research studies, then surveying the individuals conducting the research. After completing the systematic review, the authors located 68 articles studying telepsychiatry programs. The articles described telepsychiatry programs designed for a variety of individuals, including Veterans, deployed soldiers, students, children, and primary care patients. Although the authors sent surveys to all 68 studies, only researchers from 33 of the studies completed the survey. The researchers reported that 82% of the telepsychiatry programs were continued even after the study was completed. Programs were discontinued primarily due to lack of funding. Programs that endured after study completion were at sites with high demand for telepsychiatry and good relationships between site providers and researchers. The researchers responding to the surveys also felt that increased funding and improved technology were important to improve telepsychiatry offerings.