Rapid and far-reaching technological advances are revolutionizing the ways in which people relate, communicate, and live their daily lives. Technologies that were hardly used a few years ago, such as the Internet, e-mail, and video teleconferencing, are becoming familiar methods for modern communication. Telecommunications will continue to evolve quickly, spawning telehealth applications for research and the provision of clinical care in communities, university settings, clinics, and medical facilities. The impact on psychology will be significant. This article examines the application of developing technologies as they relate to psychology and discusses implications for professional research and practice.
Behavioral telehealtli innovations promise increased opportunities for access to psychological services.Technological advancements are making available inexpensive interactive televideo (IATV) applications for the provision of mental health services. The emergence of IATV brings with it a new environment that is experienced quite differently than face-to-face interactions. Human communication in the IATV medium is unique. It is subject to different rules and cues. This article explores variables that affect IATV applications toward the development of an optimal IATV environment for effective therapeutic endeavors.Technology is developing at an extraordinary pace. Technological advancements in health care are rapidly increasing the options that are available to psychologists for the provision of mental health services (Jerome et al., 2000). Telecommunications have long been a part of clinical treatment. The telephone, for example, is a commonly used tool in the delivery of health care services. Lindon (1988) and Kaplan (1997) documented the role of the telephone in emergency cases with suicidal and borderline patients and discussed the limitations and implications of telephone usage in therapeutic interventions. Newer technological innovations are making available inexpensive interactive televideo (IATV) in the form of videophones and PC-based teleconferencing. Just as the telephone has been assimilated into clinical services, so is IATV or real-time videoconferencing emerging as a viable option for integration into therapeutic interventions. Nickclson (1998) defined telehealth as "the use of telecommunications and information technology to provide access to health assessment, diagnosis, intervention, consultation, supervision, education and information, across distance" (p. 527). Behavioral telehealth applications, such as IATV, promise to improve access to needed mental health services for individuals who are geographically isolated, underresourced, or confined and thus are unable to access face-to-face treatment. Technological advances involving IATV are converging with behavioral health innovations so that LEIGH W. JEROME received her PhD in clinical psychology from Kent State University in 1991. She is a clinical psychologist and a research scientist with the Pacific e-Health Innovation Center at Triplet Army Medical Center in Honolulu, HI. Her research endeavors include the synthesis of technology, telehealth, biotech, and future forecasting.
As technologies are increasingly being used to deliver educational curricula and health care services, presence becomes an essential construct for psychologists to assimilate. Presence, or the sense of "being there" in a mediated environment, has implications for the development of new behavioral health interventions; improved approaches for performance and education; and, for the promotion of new strategies for healthier lifestyles. Understanding the essential components of presence may allow us new insights into interpersonal relationships, improved communications, more effective conflict resolution strategies, and in determining how to better teach compassion, empathy, and prosocial behavior. This article discusses the general construct of presence, defines psychophysiological determinants of presence, addresses the quantification of presence, describes "optimal" presence, and presents future directions for research and clinical applications.
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