The Ehealth, Telehealth and Telemedicine Blog

Legitimate Online Counselors Are Coming, but Meanwhile, Consumer Beware – Part I

Telehealth and telemedicine protocols typically involve the presence of a licensed practitioner either in the room with the patient or very nearby, such as in the adjoining room. They also involve community backup systems to be set up for the patient, and if practitioner be aware of those systems in the case of emergency. Consent forms in these cases include the names of family members, community leaders or trusted religious leaders who can be called upon if the professional is uncomfortable with anything that has transpired during remote contact with the patient. Telehealth and telemedicine consent forms ask patients to accept much lower risks than what might exist with public acess, proprietary Internet-based technologies such as Skype, chat rooms, or email.