Teleconsultation is now a normal part of practice, and the Telemedicine Practice Guidelines of 2020 set out how it should be done. The rules are sensible; the hard part is remembering all of them with a patient waiting on the line.
Four things to confirm before you start
- Consent. When the patient starts the consultation, consent can be implied. When the clinic or doctor starts it, or the patient is a minor, it must be explicit.
- Identity. Confirm who the patient is, for example with a one-time code or their ABHA.
- Location. Note where the patient is during the call.
- Your own eligibility. The doctor must be a registered practitioner, and the clinic must have enabled teleconsultation for them.
MargDoc Pro turns these into a checklist on the consultation panel. The call cannot start until every item is ticked, and each answer is recorded with the consultation.
What can be prescribed remotely
The guidelines group medicines into lists (List O, List A, List B and a prohibited list), and what may be prescribed depends on the list, the mode of consultation and whether it is a first visit or a follow-up. MargDoc Pro shows the doctor what is allowed before the consultation and blocks a line that is not.
When the connection lets you down
If the connection is poor, the consultation can move from video to audio or to text, or be escalated to an in-person visit. The reason is recorded and nothing already written is lost.
This article is general information for clinics, not legal advice. Confirm the details that apply to your practice with your legal adviser.