Page 28 - Telemedicine - Essentials of Virtual Care Delivery Part Two

SVMIC Telemedicine: Essentials of Virtual Care Delivery

help forestall misunderstandings about what is to be expected.

One particular risk that might be important to mention is that
of 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.

Failure to Document

Inadequate documentation is not often raised as a plaintiff’s

allegation, but it frequently becomes an issue for the defense.
The convenience of real-time recording capabilities of

telemedical encounters is definitely two-edged. There are
many pitfalls associated with an audio-video recording of a

telemedicine visit, and such recording should only be done
after thorough consideration of whether any potential benefits

of such a recording are likely to outweigh the many risks
associated with such an activity. Any requirements pertaining to

properly obtaining consent from a patient for recording a visit by
audio-visual means should also be fully considered. There are

other types of recordings made available by way of telemedicine
technology where the benefits are more likely to outweigh

the risks. For example, remote patient monitoring devices can
provide valuable data about a patient’s condition and health

trends. There are risks with such data as well, however. Failing
to capture and record data when such recording was intended

and expected, not linking a data recording to the patient record,
or not preserving an otherwise usable account of the clinician’s

findings and thought process can cause a number of problems
for the provider.

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