document: Client satisfaction in a feasibility study comparing face-to-face interviews with telepsychiatry We carried out a pilot study comparing satisfaction levels between psychiatric patients seen face to face -LRB- FTF -RRB- and those seen via videoconference . Patients who consented were randomly assigned to one of two groups . One group received services in person -LRB- FTF from the visiting psychiatrist -RRB- while the other was seen using videoconferencing at 128 kbit/s . One psychiatrist provided all the FTF and videoconferencing assessment and follow-up visits . A total of 24 subjects were recruited . Three of the subjects -LRB- 13 % -RRB- did not attend their appointments and two subjects in each group were lost to follow-up . Thus there were nine in the FTF group and eight in the videoconferencing group . The two groups were similar in most respects . Patient satisfaction with the services was assessed using the Client Satisfaction Questionnaire -LRB- CSQ-8 -RRB- , completed four months after the initial consultation . The mean scores were 25.3 in the FTF group and 21.6 in the videoconferencing group . Although there was a trend in favour of the FTF service , the difference was not significant . Patient satisfaction is only one component of evaluation . The efficacy of telepsychiatry must also be measured relative to that of conventional , FTF care before policy makers can decide how extensively telepsychiatry should be implemented
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