We have expanded the uses to include complete psychiatric assessments, allowing us to solicit input on difficult cases from experts across the state, as well as for discussing specific cases between two or more psychiatric units. The use of telemedicine technology is, indeed, expanding. It has become an important timesaving tool for conducting commitment and retention hearings to determine whether an inmate's mental condition is such that he or she should be involuntarily retained at the psychiatric facility. A hearing officer or judge can preside over the session from a distant location while still being able to maintain eye contact with the inmate. We are also using the equipment to conduct disciplinary hearings.
Clinicians note that the overall reaction of patients to telemedicine has been positive.
Most patients state that they feel very comfortable during the procedure, and appreciate not having to go through the handcuffing, shackling, long drives and hours of waiting involved in traditional medical visits. Department security staff also support telemedicine, pointing out that it decreases the security risks inherent to inmate transportation. While rife with benefits, the telecommunications highway is not without its own unique set of potholes. This question appears on the surface to be simple, but be on your guard. Technology can be incredibly seductive, luring you further and further down a track you didn't know was there in the first place.