OBJECTIVE: Remote video psychiatric assessment holds promise for
providing expert consultation to underserved areas. The authors assessed
the reliability of rating scales administered in person and over video to
patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder. METHOD: Rating scales for
obsessive-compulsive, depressive, and anxiety symptoms were administered in
person (N = 16) and by means of narrow- bandwidth video transmission over
one digital telephone line (N = 10). Interrater reliability was determined
for each condition; for the video interviews one rater sat at the local
site in front of the videoconsulting apparatus and asked the questions, and
the patient and the second rater sat at the remote site. RESULTS:
Reliability was excellent in both conditions, and there was no degradation
in reliability when the assessment was conducted over video. CONCLUSIONS:
Telemedicine resulted in near-perfect interrater agreement on rating scale
scores. Its use for other disorders and for more in-depth assessments
should be explored.
Abstract Teaser