Telepsychiatry in the heartland: if we build it, will they come?

The quality of care provided by telemedicine and its acceptability to persons who live in rural areas is largely undetermined. In this study, service satisfaction and functional status in persons using telemedicine was compared to those receiving face-to-face services at two rural sites over a 2-year study period. Similar ratings of satisfaction and clinical status were observed in twelve patients who received services under both modalities. Although there are many obstacles to successful program implementation, telepsychiatry appears to offer an acceptable and adequate alternative mode of service delivery to persons who live in rural areas.