| Abstract: | Correction Notice: An erratum for this article was reported in Vol 31(2) of Professional Psychology: Research and Practice (see record 2007-17403-001). On page 4, the last sentence of text incorrectly reads, "For additional telehealth project, policy, legal, and funding information, visit OAT's web site at http://www.telehealth.hrsa.gov." The correct web site address is http://telehealth.hrsa.gov.] In the past decade, we have seen new telecommunication and information technologies used to provide health services, health professional and consumer education, and public health and administrative services. The application of these tools to health care, commonly referred to as telehealth, provides an unprecedented opportunity, as we embark on a new millennium, to take services to those in need-to "carry the water to the desert." Telehealth provides both a means to increase access, and to reengineer the processes of care, enhancing the equality and effectiveness of health services. This article illustrates how telehealth has helped children and youth in various health care settings. Many of these projects have been initiated with federal funds from OAT or other federal agencies. Some of the projects use technologies that require special phone lines and expensive equipment ranging from $15,000 to $50,000; others run over regular phone lines and use equipment costing between $500 to $1,000. Psychologists are involved in many of these projects as initiators of services, as members of multidisciplinary teams, and as researchers. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved) |
