Remote consultations

Remote consultations (over the phone, via video link or online) have increased. So when is it safe to prescribe without meeting a patient face to face? 

The flow chart below may help doctors apply our ethical guidance to manage patient safety risks and decide when it’s usually safe to treat patients remotely. For the latest guidance on remote consultations in a pandemic see our COVID-19 FAQs.  

Is a remote consultation appropriate?

Good practice – key issues

Ensure that the medium you are using does not affect your ability to follow the law and our guidance. Consent and continuity of care are key issues to remember when you are advising or prescribing treatment for a patient via remote consultation.

Consent

• Give patients information about all the options available to them (including the option not treat) in a way they can understand.
• Tailor the information you give, and the way you give it, to patients’ individual needs, and check that they’ve understood it.
• If you’re not sure a patient has all the information they want and need, or that they’ve understood it, consider whether it is safe to provide treatment and whether you have valid consent
• You must ensure you can assess a patient's capacity. If a patient lacks capacity to make a decision, consider whether remote consultation is appropriate, including whether you can meet the requirements of mental capacity law. 

Continuity of care

• If you’re not the patient’s GP, ask the patient for consent to get information and a history from their GP and to send details of any treatment you’ve arranged.
• If the patient refuses, explore their reasons and explain the potential impact of their decision on their continuing care.
• If the patient continues to refuse, consider whether it is safe to provide treatment.
• Make record of your decision and be prepared to explain and justify it if asked to do so.