The use of videoconferencing for mental health services in Finland

• Published in: Journal of Telemedicine and Telecare
• Main Authors: Ohinmaa, Arto, Roine, Risto, Hailey, David, Kuusimäki, Marja-Leena, Winblad, Ilkka
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: SAGE Publications 2008
• Subjects: Canada; Northern Finland
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1258/jtt.2008.071212; http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1258/jtt.2008.071212; http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full-xml/10.1258/jtt.2008.071212

The utilization of telemental health (TMH) services in Finland was surveyed in 2006. In total, 135 health-care units provided responses. Eighty-four responses were received from primary care units (health-care centres and clinics) and eight from other clinics, in all hospital districts. The overall rate of TMH consultations was 4 per 100,000 population. The highest TMH consultation per population ratio, 22 per 100,000, was in northern Finland. Most of the sites used telepsychiatry services for less than 10% of clinical outpatient services. The sites with over 20% utilization of clinical TMH services from all psychiatric consultations were all rural health centres. Compared with Finland, the utilization rates of TMH were higher in Canada; that might be due to differences between the countries in the organization of mental health services in primary and specialized care. In Finland TMH consultations made up only a very small proportion of all mental health services. The use of TMH was particularly common in remote areas; however, there were many rural centres that did not utilize clinical TMH. TMH was widely utilized for continuing and medical education.