With this information, we are strongly encouraging our patients to participate in video conferencing sessions. We suspect that for some patients, the possibility of them participating in video conferencing sessions is greater than they have acknowledged. We are stepping up education and support, both informally through the patient’s family and friends, and more formally through case managers who “lend” patients a device during home visits.
In summary, this inequality in access to the technology needed for telepsychiatry will loom even more prominently as we all move forward, both clinically and in policymaking.