Evaluating satisfaction with a child and adolescent psychological telemedicine outreach service

A child and adolescent telepsychiatry service in rural New South Wales was evaluated. Part of the evaluation was to assess whether rural mental health workers and patients were satisfied with the videoconferencing services provided by child psychiatrists from the Children's Hospital at Westmead. During a 12-month study, information was collected using questionnaires on a total of 136 new patients who had been interviewed via videoconferencing. Satisfaction questionnaires were completed by 100 rural mental health workers, and 82 patients and their families/carers. Questionnaires about satisfaction with the technology were completed by 136 child psychiatrists, 101 rural mental health workers and 79 patients. Patients and their families/carers, as well as rural clinicians, expressed high overall satisfaction with the telepsychiatry service. The evaluation suggested that videoconferencing is a good method of providing child and adolescent psychiatry services to remote and rural communities.