The use of telepsychiatry within forensic practice: A literature review on the use of videolink

Abstract

While telepsychiatry – the use of telecommunication technologies to deliver mental health services from a distance – ought to have particular applicability to forensic work, little is known about its effectiveness in such settings. We reviewed the literature on the forensic applications of telepsychiatry, aiming to provide a summary and determine its effectiveness. We searched several relevant databases for reports published between 1998 and 2006 of forensic applications of telepsychiatry. The existing literature provides some preliminary evidence for the effectiveness of telepsychiatry in the forensic arena. However, as there are some serious methodological limitations such as lack of control groups, small sample sizes, and limited outcome evaluation, its utility can only be regarded as preliminary. Telepsychiatry is a feasible mode of health care delivery in areas relevant to the practice of forensic psychiatry. Further research is needed to determine its effectiveness and identify barriers to its use among forensic psychiatrists.

Keywords:

• telepsychiatry
• videolink
• video conferencing
• forensic telepsychiatry
• criminal justice
• prison psychiatry