Telehealth: implications for social work practice

Telehealth, the use of modern information technology to deliver health services to remote locations, poses both opportunities and problems for social work. Home health "visits" featuring a social worker in one state and a patient in another, therapy on the Internet, and the transmission of patient records across state and national boundaries raise important ethical and legal questions. This article examines how modern communications technologies such as e-mail, interactive e-mail, and interactive videoconferencing affect social work practice, with emphasis on the legal, ethical, and relationship issues raised.