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Geriatric Telepsychiatry: Systematic Review and Policy Considerations
Gentry MT, Lapid MI, Rummans TA.. The American journal of geriatric psychiatry : official journal of the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry, 2018-10-30
Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies
Telemental health (TMH) for older patients has the potential to increase access to geriatric specialists, reduce travel times for patients and providers, and reduce ever growing healthcare costs. This systematic review article examines the literature regarding psychiatric assessment and treatment via telemedicine for geriatric patients. English language literature was searched using Ovid Medline, PubMed, and PsycINFO with search terms including telemedicine, telemental health, aging, and dementia. Abstracts were reviewed for relevance based on inclusion criteria. Multiple study types were reviewed, including open label, qualitative and randomized controlled trial study designs. Data was compiled regarding participants, study intervention, and outcomes. 76 articles were included. TMH was shown to be feasible and well accepted in the areas of inpatient and nursing home consultation, cognitive testing, dementia diagnosis and treatment, depression in integrated and collaborative care models, and psychotherapy. There is limited data on cost-effectiveness of TMH in the elderly. This article will discuss the current barriers to broader implementation of telemedicine for geriatric patients including reimbursement from the Medicare program. Medicare reimbursement for telemedicine is limited to rural areas, which does not allow for the widespread development of telemedicine programs. All Medicare beneficiaries would benefit from increased access to telemedicine services, not only those living in rural areas. As many elderly and disabled individuals have mobility problems, home-based telemedicine services should also be made available. There are efforts in Congress to expand the coverage of these services under Medicare, but strong advocacy will be needed to ensure these efforts are successful.
Key findings
- This article will discuss the current barriers to broader implementation of telemedicine for geriatric patients including reimbursement from the Medicare program.
- Medicare reimbursement for telemedicine is limited to rural areas, which does not allow for the widespread development of telemedicine programs.
- All Medicare beneficiaries would benefit from increased access to telemedicine services, not only those living in rural areas.
- As many elderly and disabled individuals have mobility problems, home-based telemedicine services should also be made available.
- There are efforts in Congress to expand the coverage of these services under Medicare, but strong advocacy will be needed to ensure these efforts are successful.
Why it matters
This systematic review found that telepsychiatry was feasible and well accepted for geriatric patients in areas including cognitive testing and dementia diagnosis and treatment. Data on cost-effectiveness was limited, and Medicare reimbursement for telemedicine is restricted to rural areas, limiting broader use.
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Study details
- Study designrandomized controlled trial
- Evidence strengthHigh
How this study scored 60/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal, and it is a systematic review of all the studies on the question. Scored zero for sample size, effect reported and studied in people because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (The American journal of geriatric psychiatry : official journal of the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry) |
| Journal's citation record | 2 / 4 | American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry: journal h-index 178 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 12 / 12 | A systematic review of all the studies on the question (from PubMed type “Systematic Review”) |
| Strength of evidence | 5 / 5 | Rated “high” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 2 / 5 | 2019 — within 10 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 0 / 4 | Participant count not stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 0 / 3 | Not stated whether this was studied in people — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | A review of other studies — randomisation is not credited here |
| Times cited | 5 / 7 | Cited 154 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 3 / 5 | 17.1 citations a year over 9 year(s) since 2019 |
| Impact for its field and year | 3 / 6 | Cited 4.4× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 2 / 6 | Cited by 3 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 2 / 4 | Cited 34 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 3 / 4 | Last-listed author Teresa A. Rummans: h-index 64 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 2 / 3 | Mayo Clinic: institution h-index 1,606 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 0 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 1 institution(s) in 1 country — scores zero (affiliation lists can be incomplete) |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 30416025) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Total | 60 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
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Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
APA 7th
Gentry, M. T., Lapid, M. I., & Rummans, T. A. (2019). Geriatric Telepsychiatry: Systematic Review and Policy Considerations. The American journal of geriatric psychiatry : official journal of the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jagp.2018.10.009
Vancouver
Gentry MT, Lapid MI, Rummans TA. Geriatric Telepsychiatry: Systematic Review and Policy Considerations. The American journal of geriatric psychiatry : official journal of the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry. 2019. doi:10.1016/j.jagp.2018.10.009. PMID: 30416025.
BibTeX
@article{gentry2019-30416025,
author = {Gentry, M. T. and Lapid, M. I. and Rummans, T. A.},
title = {{Geriatric Telepsychiatry: Systematic Review and Policy Considerations}},
journal = {The American journal of geriatric psychiatry : official journal of the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry},
year = {2019},
doi = {10.1016/j.jagp.2018.10.009},
pmid = {30416025},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jagp.2018.10.009}
}
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