IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - Winter 2014 - 35
LEADING EDGE
GANESH
GOPALAKRISHNA
MUAID ITHMAN
BRUCE HARRY
DEEPTI BAHL
Videoconferencing for Civil
Commitment: Preserving Dignity
C
ivil commitment (i.e., civil involuntary
or others, law enforcement necessarily has transported
hospitalization and treatment) is somethem in physical restraints, regardless of age, gender,
times necessary to treat some psychiatric
or history of personal trauma. This was not only furpatients, especially those
ther traumatizing, but also demeaning
believed to be dangerous to themselves
Teleconferencing for the patient.
or others. In the State of Missouri, folAfter being ruled constitutional in
saves time,
lowing the initial emergency petition
1993 [2], the American Psychiatric
improves
for up to 96 hours involuntary detenAssociation (APA) endorsed the use
productivity,
tion and treatment, the psychiatrist may
of videoconferencing as a means for
file with the probate court a petition for
conducting civil commitment hearenhances safety,
additional detention and treatment not
ings in 1998 [3]. The 13th Judicial Cirand helps
to exceed 21 days. Subsequent petitions
cuit Court in Boone County, Missouri,
preserve patient
may be filed to extend the patient's stay
implemented this modality in 2010 for
dignity.
for up to 90 days, and then for up to a
civil commitment to the Missouri Unimaximum of one-year commitment [1].
versity Psychiatric Center (MUPC) and
Traditional court proceedings, for those requesting
to the Truman Veterans Hospital in Columbia, Misextension beyond the original 96-hours, require all
souri. To the best of our knowledge, only three other
parties to be present in the courtroom. The psychiatrist
hospitals in Missouri, one in the adjacent county of the
and other hospital staff would necessarily leave their
13th Judicial Circuit, use this technology.
workplace and travel to the courthouse, resulting in
The videoconferencing equipment bridges two
loss of clinical productivity, which itself reduces time
distinct locations and sets of participants. The
available for providing care to other patients. Because
judge, the prosecutor, court clerk, marshal, and perevery such patient is believed to be dangerous to self
haps some witnesses would be at the courthouse.
The patient, patient's attorney, testifying psychiatrists and other staff witnesses, hospital court liaiDigital Object Identifier 10.1109/MTS.2014.2367951
Date of publication: 1 December 2014
son, and hospital security staff would be in another
IEEE TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIETY MAGAZINE
|
WINTER 2014
|
35
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