Addressing Technological Challenges in Telehealth

In this video, Edward Kaftarian, MD, executive chairman at Orbit Telepsychiatry and Psych Congress Steering Committee member, shares proactive measures to address common technical challenges faced by telehealth providers.

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Read the Transcript:

Edward Kaftarian, MD: Hello, my name is Dr. Edward Kaftarian. I'm a board certified psychiatrist and executive chairman of Orbit Health Telepsychiatry. I'm also on the steering committee for Psych Congress.

So, there are several potential challenges when it comes to using technology. First and foremost, you want good connectivity. If you or the patient do not have good broadband or have some other problem with WiFi, then the patient's session can be compromised and there can be delays like lag time between when you talk and when your patient talks. This can be very disruptive to the patient encounter.

Also, the usability of the interface is really important. It needs to be simple enough so that the patient can connect with you, and also for yourself. Accessibility can be an issue. For example, if somebody has a hearing impairment or a visual impairment, then you need the technology in order to bridge that gap. You also have technology challenges when there's poor equipment, such as the hardware. For example, if your microphone or speaker is not high quality or your camera, that can impact the patient's experience.

There can also be technical glitches that can happen. And I think that we've all been here before where there's a technology update in the middle of what you're trying to do. So you're about to see a patient, and then there's a software update that happens and it can take a half an hour. So it's important to be mindful of that and to do the software updates frequently before the patient session.

Edward Kaftarian, MD, is a preeminent authority in the field of Telepsychiatry. He holds a distinguished seat on the Telepsychiatry Committee of the American Psychiatric Association and is a member of the Steering Committee for PsychCongress, the United States' largest independent mental health educational conference. Additionally, Dr. Kaftarian is a prominent speaker on the rules and regulations governing telehealth. Dr. Kaftarian completed his psychiatry training at the prestigious Johns Hopkins University and holds board certifications in Psychiatry, Forensic Psychiatry, and Addiction Medicine.