An encrypted email application for paediatric and adolescent mental health teleconsultations

Caffery, Liam Joseph, Stathis, Stephen and Smith, Anthony C. (2008) An encrypted email application for paediatric and adolescent mental health teleconsultations. Electronic Journal of Health Informatics, 3 1: 1-7.


Author Caffery, Liam Joseph
Stathis, Stephen
Smith, Anthony C.
Title An encrypted email application for paediatric and adolescent mental health teleconsultations
Journal name Electronic Journal of Health Informatics  (ERA 2012 Listed)    (ERA 2010 Rank C)   Check publisher's open access policy
Publication date 2008
Sub-type Article
Volume number 3
Issue number 1
ISSN 1446-4381
Start page 1
End page 7
Total pages 7
Editor Peter Croll
Sebastian Garde
Place of publication Brunswick East, Vic., Australia
Publisher Health Informatics Society of Australia
Collection year 2009
Language eng
Subject 111714 Mental Health
111711 Health Information Systems (incl. Surveillance)
9299 Other Health
C1
1117 Public Health and Health Services
0807 Library and Information Studies
Abstract We have developed an encrypted web-based e-mail application for the purpose of paediatric and adolescent telepsychiatric consultations. Open source libraries from OpenSSL were used for the development of our system. Our web-based architecture forced all communication between psychiatrist and patient to be encrypted using Secure Socket Layer or Transport Layer Security. The use of encrypted e-mail is an administrative recommendation of the Information Security Standard for the state health department. Our system was implemented for use by Child and Youth Mental Health Services in October 2005. During the first 13 months, between October 2005 and November 2006, 140 teleconsultations were performed via encrypted e-mail. Many of the patients lived in regional and remote areas of Queensland. We have found that e-mail teleconsultations are most useful as an adjunct to face-to-face consultations for these patients. We suspect from early experience that the email service has allowed more consistent therapeutic contact with patients, resulting in positive patient outcomes. This case report demonstrates that e-mail-based telepsychiatry has both a place in under-served regional communities and for patients undergoing therapy, regardless of their geographical location.
Keyword E-mail
Psychiatry
Adolescent psychiatry
Child psychiatry
Telemedicine
Q-Index Code C1
Q-Index Status Confirmed Code

 
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Created: Thu, 19 Mar 2009, 12:20:53 EST by Lisa Garner on behalf of Centre for On-Line Health