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The mental health field continues to experience a significant service gap. Despite an increase in demand for psychiatric services, access to care continues to lag. In this context, telepsychiatry, defined as the use of information and communication technologies to provide mental health services remotely via videoconferencing, has emerged as a method to enhance access to care. A large body of evidence supports the use of telepsychiatry as an effective, acceptable, and cost-efficient method of health care delivery that is equivalent to face-to face care.

Degree of service gap in correctional settings

A large percentage of inmates struggle with mental health concerns. However, access to appropriate psychiatric care within correctional settings has been limited due to a variety of factors, including the shortage of clinicians, the geographic locations of correctional settings, and financial issues. In addition, there are staffing and security requirements that can cause delays to care. 

The United States has been experiencing an “opioid epidemic” of crippling magnitude that has led the Government on October 26, 2017 to declare the opioid crisis “a public health emergency.”

As the need for mental health services continues to grow in the United States, physicians and healthcare facilities are increasingly leveraging technology to enhance access to care to patients.