Implementing Telepsychiatry in Thailand Benefits and Challenges
Songpoom Benyakorn MD*
Affiliation : * Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Srinakharinwirot University, Nakhon Nayok, Thailand
In many developed countries, telepsychiatry has become facilitating technology in mental health care system especially in underserved areas. In a developing country like Thailand, telepsychiatry is a novel technology in which mental health care personnel should understand both administrative and clinical issues. In this article, the author has reviewed benefits and challenges of implementing telepsychiatry in Thailand. Benefits of telepsychiatry include reducing costs, improving accessibility and reducing psychiatric stigmas while challenges can be classified as man, machine and environment challenges. The author concludes that telepsychiatry in Thailand needs further studies, especially in feasibility and cost-efficiency domains in the hope that this technology will improve quality of mental health care in near future.
Keywords : Telepsychiatry, Telemedicine, Thailand, Technology
