Summary:
‘Digital’ is an omnipresent yet often vague, misunderstood or feared topic in health services. There are many current and potential gains for individual patients and local populations, clinicians and organisations through optimisation of digital technologies. We argue that understanding the various aspects of digital psychiatry is an essential contemporary need. This is the first of two articles on the subject, exploring the gains and challenges of virtual/online assessments, including ethical considerations and the use of virtual reality and electronic prescribing.
Learning Objectives:
After reading this article you will be able to:
- Identify the practical challenges and gains of virtual assessments
- Identify the ethical and legal issues involved in virtual assessments
- Discuss the digital landscape of health apps and the emerging mental health technologies of virtual reality and electronic prescribing.
