Telepsychiatry: Critical dimensions for forensic services

The use of telepsychiatry technology and services has gained attention among legal and clinical practitioners. In the current article, telepsychiatry is defined, and an innovative model of telepsychiatry care delivery that is in use in a child and adolescent forensic evaluation clinic is examined. Critical factors specific to forensics services are examined, as are those specific to telepsychiatry, including transmission mode, privacy and confidentiality, expense, quality of care, face-to-face versus video transmission, user satisfaction, and liability concerns in the use of telepsychiatry.