Telepsychiatry with child welfare families referred to a family service agency.

A telepsychology and telepsychiatry service, using ISDN interactive video H.320, providing psychological consultations for the Family Resource Center in Farmington, New Mexico, was evaluated. During the first year of service, 56 individuals participated including University of New Mexico staff, Family Resource Center staff and clients. Consultations involved children from families referred by the Children, Youth and Family Department (CYFD) in New Mexico. Telemedicine was used in some child abuse cases. This study investigated whether the quality and acceptance of telemedicine consultations were comparable to face-to-face interactions in a group referred by a state child welfare agency. Participants received formal written consultation reports after the video conferencing sessions, which included a number of recommendations. Participants were asked to complete an anonymous questionnaire to rate various aspects of videoconferencing. The participants rated the university staff as involved, enjoyed the Family Resource Center staff's presence, felt the procedure was useful for evaluation purposes, found the format allowed for discussions of problems, and felt that the format was useful when compared to face-to-face consultations. The participants also said they had followed up on many of the recommendations. Videoconferencing appears to be a viable approach for providing consultation for families referred by a state child welfare agency. Several participants rated the session as both educational and consultative compared to simply therapeutic.