ABSTRACT. Telehealth has become widely used in the Canadian healthcare system. The discipline of healthcare involving mental health has also begun to adopt telehealth strategies, known in general as telemental health services. These have been used to address some of the issues currently facing the mental healthcare system in Canada, such as psychiatrist shortages or lack of mental health services available in rural areas. This paper reports on the effectiveness that telemental services have had on the mental healthcare system in Canada, based on a Canadian literature review, with supporting literature from the United States. This paper also includes recommendations for further improvements involving the use of telemental health. The recommendations include: that closer collaboration amongst all levels of governments is needed when designing an improved mental healthcare framework, that telemental health services be built into government policies, and that follow up studies take place on existing pilot studies and telemental health services in Canada. pp. 59–83

Keywords: telehealth; telemental health; policies; economics; applications

How to cite: Francisco, Krizia, and Norm Archer (2016), “The Impact of Telehealth on Mental Healthcare in Canada,” American Journal of Medical Research 3(2): 59–83.

Received 11 January 2016 • Received in revised form 30 April 2016
Accepted 30 April 2016 • Available online 15 May 2016

doi:10.22381/AJMR3220163