This book focuses on the critical area of delivering mental health services in rural settings. It is designed as a practical guide to the technological provision of timely, effective, evidence-based care, helpful to the novice and the experienced practitioner alike. The benefits of this approach are: Improved access to and improved quality of care Technical support for providers and administrators A means of providing missing specialty care An ability to maximize scarce resources and significant flexibility for health service delivery. The book will cover how to adjust therapeutic skills to patients’ needs, models of care and the particular technology used. It shows how rudimentary design of workflow can assist in integrating care, and highlights the importance of allowing for cultural needs (both rural geography and ethnic/race). Administrative issues are also addressed (e.g., privacy, reimbursement). The chapters are short and designed for maximum practicality, including learning objectives, cases and summaries emphasizing “what to do and how to do it.”
In 1996, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) released its report Telemedicine: A Guide to Assessing Telecommunications for Health Care. In that report, the IOM Committee on Evaluating Clinical Applications of Telemedicine found telemedicine is similar in most respects to other technologies for which better evidence of effectiveness is also being demanded. Telemedicine, however, has some special characteristics-shared with information technologies generally-that warrant particular notice from evaluators and decision makers. Since that time, attention to telehealth has continued to grow in both the public and private sectors. Peer-reviewed journals and professional societies are devoted to telehealth, the federal government provides grant funding to promote the use of telehealth, and the private technology industry continues to develop new applications for telehealth. However, barriers remain to the use of telehealth modalities, including issues related to reimbursement, licensure, workforce, and costs. Also, some areas of telehealth have developed a stronger evidence base than others. The Health Resources and Service Administration (HRSA) sponsored the IOM in holding a workshop in Washington, DC, on August 8-9 2012, to examine how the use of telehealth technology can fit into the U.S. health care system. HRSA asked the IOM to focus on the potential for telehealth to serve geographically isolated individuals and extend the reach of scarce resources while also emphasizing the quality and value in the delivery of health care services. This workshop summary discusses the evolution of telehealth since 1996, including the increasing role of the private sector, policies that have promoted or delayed the use of telehealth, and consumer acceptance of telehealth. The Role of Telehealth in an Evolving Health Care Environment: Workshop Summary discusses the current evidence base for telehealth, including available data and gaps in data; discuss how technological developments, including mobile telehealth, electronic intensive care units, remote monitoring, social networking, and wearable devices, in conjunction with the push for electronic health records, is changing the delivery of health care in rural and urban environments. This report also summarizes actions that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) can undertake to further the use of telehealth to improve health care outcomes while controlling costs in the current health care environment.
This Handbook outlines in detail the features and challenges of rural and remote mental health service delivery and pragmatic considerations to address these, to ensure people in less populated areas receive an equivalent quality of service to their city-dwelling counterparts. The scope of the book includes general descriptions of the rural and remote context as well as the professional and ethical considerations involved in working in these areas. The book includes information specific to the professions that contribute to effective and efficient mental health services, as well as addressing specific areas of practice that warrant focused attention because of their importance. In order to cover the field comprehensively, the Handbook has four sections. The first section deals with the general context of rural and remote practice including a description of the general features of the setting and the importance of attention to ethical and professional standards. The second section of the Handbook describes different ways of working in rural and remote contexts. Rural and remote contexts provide many opportunities for innovation and creativity but it is imperative that novel approaches do not compromise the quality and integrity of the service. The third section covers individual professions in detail and the fourth section focuses specifically on particular areas of practice that present challenges for rural and remote areas. Academics will find this Handbook a valuable evidence-based resource to enhance their teaching of undergraduate and postgraduate mental health students. Practitioners will find this book an important reference guide to enrich and broaden their rural and remote experiences. They will be informed of the latest research evidence and will be provided with practical advice and strategies to promote advanced clinical practice in this challenging context. .
The Behavioral Health Barometer: United States, Volume 5: Indicators as measured through the 2017 National Survey on Drug Use and Health and the National Survey of Substance Abuse Treatment Services, is one of a series of national, regional, and state reports that provide a snapshot of behavioral health in the United States. The reports present a set of substance use and mental health indicators as measured through the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) and the National Survey of Substance Abuse Treatment Services (N-SSATS), sponsored by SAMHSA.
The eHealth series is primarily meant for government ministries of health, information technology, and telecommunications, as well as others working in eHealth -- academics, researchers, eHealth professionals, nongovernmental organizations, and donors. The telemedicine module of the 2009 survey examined the current level of development of four fields of telemedicine: teleradiology, teledermatogy, telepathology, and telepsychology, as well as four mechanisms that facilitate the promotion and development of telemedicine solutions in the short- and long-term: the use of a national agency, national policy or strategy, scientific development, and evaluation. Telemedicine: Opportunities and Developments in Member States discusses the results of the telemedicine module, which was completed by 114 countries (59% of Member States).
The Patient-Centered Clinical Method (PCCM) has been a core tenet of the practice and teaching of medicine since the first edition of Patient-Centered Medicine - Transforming the Clinical Method was published in 1995. This timely fourth edition continues to define the principles underpinning the patient-centered clinical method using four major components, clarifying its evolution and consequent development, and it brings the reader fully up to date. It reinforces the relevance of the method in the current much-changed realities of health care in a world where virtual care will remain common, dependence on technology is rising, and societal changes away from compassion, equity, and relationships toward confrontation, inequity, and self-absorption. Fully revised by its highly experienced author team ensuring wide interest and written for those practising now and for the practitioners of the future, this new edition will be welcomed by a wide international audience comprising all health professionals from medicine, nursing, social work, occupational therapy, physical therapy, pharmacy, veterinary medicine, and other fields.
