Telepsychiatry for stable Chinese psychiatric out-patients in custody in Hong Kong: a case-control pilot study.
Hong Kong Med J
; 24(4): 378-383, 2018 08.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-30065125
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION:
In Hong Kong, persons in custody receive primary medical care within the institutions of the Correctional Services Department (CSD). However, for psychiatric care, persons in custody must attend specialist out-patient clinics (SOPCs), which may cause embarrassment and stigmatisation. The aim of this interventional pilot study was to compare teleconsultations with face-to-face consultations for a group of stable Chinese psychiatric out-patients in custody.METHODS:
A total of 86 stable Chinese male out-patients in custody were recruited for psychiatric teleconsultations. They were compared with 249 age-matched Chinese male out-patients in custody attending standard face-to-face psychiatric consultations at other SOPCs. The two groups had comparable baseline characteristics including age, education level, and 12-item Chinese General Health Questionnaire (C-GHQ-12) score. A satisfaction survey of patients towards the teleconsultation was also carried out.RESULTS:
Compared with the face-to-face consultation group, the teleconsultation group showed a significantly better result in the difference in C-GHQ-12 scores before and after consultations (P=0.023). The correlation between the first and second teleconsultations also showed a moderate positive relationship (r=0.309). The satisfaction survey showed a favourable response to teleconsultations. No significant adverse events were identified for the teleconsultation group.CONCLUSIONS:
The results suggest that teleconsultations are a sustainable and safe alternative to face-to-face consultations for stable Chinese psychiatric out-patients in custody.Palavras-chave
Texto completo:
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Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Pacientes Ambulatoriais
/
Prisioneiros
/
Consulta Remota
/
Transtornos Mentais
País/Região como assunto:
Asia
Idioma:
En
Ano de publicação:
2018
Tipo de documento:
Article
País de afiliação:
Hong Kong