Best Practices in Tele-Teaming: Managing Virtual Teams in the Delivery of Care in Telepsychiatry.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE OF THE REVIEW To review and organize best practices around management of virtual teams for psychiatrists working in team-based telepsychiatry services. RECENT FINDINGS: An early but evolving literature in telepsychiatric team-based care is beginning to examine the importance of team function. Psychiatrists will increasingly have opportunities to engage in team-based telepsychiatry in evolving models that improve outcomes, enhance quality, and expand access to behavioral health treatments. While the literature is limited in psychiatry and medicine on virtual teams, there is a growing literature from applied psychology and business. This article synthesizes these findings along with lessons learned from the field to provide recommendations for psychiatrists involved in team-based telepsychiatry. Providing this type of care involves mastering the management of virtual teams. Psychiatrists are well positioned to play a distinctive and central leadership role for team-based telepsychiatry.