Internet Valuable

I write to disagree respectfully with the concerns about “Web-based psychiatry” raised by Dr. Herbert M. Perr in his letter in the August 3 issue. While I agree with him that the practice of medicine is indeed an art, I do not believe that psychiatrists who utilize the Internet to communicate with patients are in danger of abandoning their “professional standards.”

Physician-patient communication through the Internet, using both e-mail and Web-based content, can provide a very valuable adjunct to the traditional “face-to-face” therapeutic relationship. Though I neither expect nor hope that such technology will supplant our more direct and personal interactions with patients, we can use this technology to broaden and improve the doctor-patient relationship. Prescription refills, appointment requests, and general information regarding a variety of mental illnesses are some of the services we can provide our patients through the Internet. Such practice-based Web sites are easy to create, require little maintenance, and are free to APA members through Medem.com.

Technology can be construed as a barrier to psychiatric care, but I believe this same technology can provide us with a fantastic new way to communicate with—and care for—patients suffering from mental illnesses.