Page 18 - Part 2 Introduction to Telemedicine

SVMIC Introduction to Telemedicine

needing to switch from telemedical mode to in-person mode. It

should be clear that this decision is a matter of provider judgment
(This is analogous to the risk of converting a laparoscopic

procedure to an open one). The telemedical practitioner should be
prepared with a response if the patient is reluctant to follow

medical advice, and prepared with a plan, if a fallback contingency

becomes necessary.

Confusion with Social Media

A growing liability risk for healthcare providers comes with their

own and their patients’ participation in social media, such as
Facebook , Twitter , Instagram , Sermo , etc. These platforms invite
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privacy, security and boundary violations not only by providers, but
also by staff and even family members. Since patients probably use
the same devices to engage with their doctors that they use to

engage with online friends (and antagonists), it would be natural
to expect them to transfer communication habits from the more

informal settings to the more formal. Providers need to be
conscientious about professionalism, keeping the content, style

and culture prevalent in today’s social media carefully firewalled

outside their encounters with patients. Providers and their staff
need to learn how to maintain professional demeanor and

accountable practices even when challenged by patients who

don’t exhibit the same values. It is important to remember that
records are almost always retrievable from online systems, and

may become evidence in legal proceedings.

Failure to Document

Inadequate documentation is not often raised as a plaintiff

allegation, but it frequently becomes an issue for the defense. The
convenience of real-time recordings of telemedical encounters is

definitely two-edged; but, failing to record, not linking to the patient

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