Friday, March 25, 2011

Smart phones could help bridge treatment gap

Soldiers who lack access to mental health care providers because they are too far away from each other could one day speak to a doctor on a screen in the palm of the hand or inside a converted shipping container.
Researchers with the National Center for Telemedicine and Telehealth are exploring how smart phones and cargo containers equipped with two-way video technology can link soldiers to care across long distances. Tests are underway for smart phones, and the first converted cargo container is already in use.
“We at T2 continue to focus on expanding access to care to our service members, veterans and families, and one of the ways is through two-way audio-visual interactions,” said Matt Mishkind, chief of T2’s clinical telehealth division. “Our big focus is to make sure we get care to people anywhere it’s needed, anytime that it’s needed, that it’s as close to patients as possible in places where people feel comfortable receiving the care.”

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