The e-Mental Health Consultation Service: Providing Enhanced Primary-Care Mental Health Services Through Telemedicine

This article describes the University of California, Davis Medical Center eMental Health Consultation Service, a program designed to integrate tele-mental health clinical services, provider-to-provider consultation, and provider distance education. During the first year of operation, consultations were provided for 289 cases. The most common diagnoses among children were for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder-spectrum problems. Among the adult patients, mood disorders were most common. A convenience sample of 33 adult patients who completed the SF–12 health status measure showed significant improvements in mental health status at 3–6 months of follow-up. This model of comprehensive rural outpatient primary mental health care delivered at a distance shows promise for wider application and deserves further study.