Introduction
Telemedicine applies the use of technology that is based on a video in order to provide patients with a range of healthcare services. However, telepsychiatry refers to the process that utilizes telecommunication devices to provide various psychiatry services to assist individuals in remote places or regions who need psychiatric assistance (O’Brien & McNicholas, 2020). Individuals who would consider getting the services in the comfort of their homes likewise make their subscription. The process equates to in-person psychological care in diverse ways, including accuracy in diagnosis, high-quality care, maintaining client confidentiality and privacy, and effective treatment administration.
Value of Telepsychiatry on Patient Care/Patient Outcomes
Telepsychiatry provides a manageable way for various clients to access psychiatric services wherever they are. With the technology, there is no need for one to take time off to attend therapy since it can be observed from anywhere. Further, the technology is considered more effective as compared to the usual type of care. In telepsychiatry, various individuals are willing to open up from the comfort of their environment (Nittari et al., 2020). Individuals with cognitive or mental issues who could not travel to access high-quality mental services can now subscribe to them.
Risks of Privacy and Confidentiality Breeches to Patients, Families, or Caregivers
Telemedicine and its small branches of telepsychiatry were recently introduced in 2020. The increased influx of users and companies that rely on video conferencing apps has led to such applications’ rapid and fast development; because of the rush, when these applications are not designed properly, there may be high privacy breaches. Using personal devices at the workplace may lead to privacy breaches by other unauthorized individuals. Therefore, with the rising number of healthcare facilities adopting the BYOD trend, the method is insecure as it is exposed to networks and personal VPNs that are susceptible to attacks (Nittari et al., 2020). Most healthcare facilities should, therefore, be vigilant with the patient’s confidential information.
When psychiatrists are working from home, the patient’s data may be compromised as several individuals are accessing the hospital network remotely from where they are. When many individuals log in to the network, keeping track of all the users, as well as alerts, becomes hard, and this may give room for fraud (Nittari et al., 2020). The patient and the psychiatrist should be in rooms or places that are not accessible by anyone during the therapy session. This is to avoid breach of privacy by family members of both two the patient and the medical practitioner.
Advantages of the Telepsychiatry
Therapy that is offered online is essential as it works to eliminate wait times and travel for the patients. Teletherapy is likewise significant to the therapists as it reduces scheduling conflicts to the therapist. With all these advantages, the resulting situations will be free of no canceled appointments or no-shows by the patients (Nittari et al., 2020). Before telepsychiatry, most individuals who had mental health issues were still under a stigma in seeking the appropriate therapist to attend to them. The advent of telemedicine eliminated the burden of stigma, and most individuals do seek assistance free of will.
Disadvantages of the Telepsychiatry
Patients may experience difficulty in purchasing the various equipment to be used in videoconferencing. Such situations may worsen the conditions of the patients as there is no proper assistance. The use of videotelephony applications requires proficient technology. Therefore, to utilize these staff properly to avoid errors during sessions, both the therapist and the client have to be coached on the proper settings and positionings that are recommended (Kinoshita & Kishimoto, 2022). There are several instances that can lead to attacks on the confidential information of the client.
Some conditions cannot be solved remotely. They include various states of dementia, and individuals with this condition should be taken to the hospital for further treatment. This is because the condition manifests in various changes in moods and perceptions, and the client may end up destructions to equipment of connections (Kinoshita & Kishimoto, 2022). Moreover, telepsychiatry cannot be applied to the kids as they may not be able to comprehend whatever is taking place.
Legal and Ethical Considerations on the Use of Telepsychiatry
Psychiatrists should ensure that the service is authorized and that their therapist is competent and capable of offering the service to various mentally affected patients. The patients should be certain that the therapist attending to their needs is a qualified psychiatrist personnel. Protection of the client’s data is a significant consideration that should not be omitted and instead be taken into strict consideration. By doing that, the therapist shall have obeyed the principle of medical ethics of respect for privacy (Solimini et al., 2021). The therapists must seek consent from the client before proceeding with the therapy. The patient should be the priority of the psychiatrist, and regardless of the circumstances, no harm or good should befall the patient during the therapy session.
Opinion on the Use of Telepsychiatry
With the rising cases of mental problems such as depression and suicidal thoughts within the US, telepsychiatry has been playing a significant role since it was introduced during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic. The federal government of the US should ensure that mental health issues that affect the youths within the nation are managed, and because there are numerous cases that may hinder the visit of hospitals and health facilities by everyone, telepsychiatry is a more prominent approach (Connolly et al., 2022). With the service insured, the youths will be in a position to seek assistance anytime and from anywhere.
Biblical Principles
The Bible encourages human beings to cast their anxiety unto God almighty. Humankind should not be anxious about anything, but instead, they should present their request unto God regardless of the situation that presents itself. By doing this, the peace of God that transcends all understanding will, in turn, provide guidance to each individual’s heart and mind to live as per the teachings of Christ. God’s view of man includes the fullness of his experience of all that he is, was, and can become. We grow in fullness in our relationship with Christ. God’s Word makes it very clear that we are to bring the whole of ourselves into this relationship (Deut. 6:5). If people keep parts of themselves out of this relationship, they cannot experience the transubstantial nature of union with Christ.
References
Connolly, S. L., Miller, C. J., Gifford, A. L., & Charness, M. E. (2022). Perceptions and use of telehealth among mental health, primary, and specialty care clinicians during the COVID-19 pandemic.JAMA Network Open, 5(6), e2216401-e2216401. Web.
Kinoshita, S., & Kishimoto, T. (2022). Advantages and disadvantages of the long-term use of telepsychiatry.Irish Journal of Psychological Medicine, 1-2. Web.
Nittari, G., Khuman, R., Baldoni, S., Pallotta, G., Battineni, G., & Ricci, G. (2020). Telemedicine practice: review of the current ethical and legal challenges. Telemedicine and e-Health, 26(12), 1427-1437. Web.
O’Brien, M., & McNicholas, F. (2020). The use of telepsychiatry during COVID-19 and beyond.Irish journal of psychological medicine, 37(4), 250-255. Web.
Solimini, R., Busardò, F. P., Gibelli, F., Sirignano, A., & Ricci, G. (2021). Ethical and legal challenges of telemedicine in the era of the COVID-19 pandemic. Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania), 57(12), 1314. Web.