FEATURE
New Expectations
in our Draft Policy
• hysicians must analyze the
P
potential harm associated
with practising telemedicine and only proceed if it
does not expose the patient
to a higher degree of risk
than in-person care.
• hysicians who refer paP
tients to out-of-province
physicians must take
reasonable steps to assure
themselves that the referral
is appropriate.
• ut-of province physicians
O
are expected to comply
with licensing requirements
in their “home” jurisdiction
and meet the standard of
care.
• nsure the physical setting
E
in which the care is being
delivered is appropriate and
safe; there must be a plan
in place to manage adverse
events and/or emergencies.
10
DIALOGUE • Issue 2, 2014
The policy captures a broad range of technologies (e.g., mobile phones,
email, video conferencing, etc.) but does not specify technical or security
requirements.
“We chose not to specify particular technical or security requirements because the technology is rapidly evolving and we did not want to risk dating
the policy. For that reason, we did not single out Skype, for example, as a
technology that is currently less than certifiably secure. We can’t be sure what
the device, software and security landscape will look like even one year from
now,” said Dr. Gabel.
Instead, the draft sets out general expectations for the appropriate use of
telemedicine, which are based on the proposition that the practise of telemedicine is the practise of medicine. As such, physicians’ existing legal and
professional obligations remain applicable when providing care via telemedicine.
Feedback greatly informs all our policies. So, now we ask you to provide
your comments on our draft expectations on telemedicine. Is the draft
reasonable? Are the expectations clear? Is there a particular area in which you
would like further guidance? Please le \