6. In today’s world of being “connected 24/7”, initial feedback preliminarily in

Question

6. In today’s world of being “connected 24/7”, initial feedback preliminarily indicates that many patients like the ability to communicate with their providers from their mobile device at their convenience. However, as with many technological advances and resulting capabilities (especially in healthcare), come additional legal oversight and regulatory requirements. Questions inevitably arise as to what type of “communication” or “reporting” to patients constitutes the “practice of medicine?” For example, if a patient sends her physician a secure email indicating describing a “cold” or sinus infection symptoms and requests a prescription for an antibiotic, which the physician prescribes, is the physician practicing telemedicine even though she hasn’t physically seen the patient in her office? Does it matter if the physician has prescribed the same, or a similar, antibiotic for the patient’s recurring symptoms over the past ten years? What types of additional precautions must the physician or practice take to ensure that all patient information remains “secure” and, if appropriate, “encrypted”? • Is it possible to balance the wealth of information available to patients via the Internet with a loss of a personal relationship between the patient and caregiver?

Explanation / Answer

1.Practice of medicine would include prescribing medicine for improving health or providing healthcare medications. The communication of prescribing medicine would come under practice of medicine.

2.Yes, even if a patient sends her physician a secure email indicating describing a “cold” or sinus infection symptoms and requests a prescription for an antibiotic, which the physician prescribes, the physician is practicing telemedicine even though she hasn’t physically seen the patient in her office.

3.Yes, it matter if the physician has prescribed the same, or a similar, antibiotic for the patient’s recurring symptoms over the past ten years as this would free the doctor from any liability or regulatory measures.

4.The additional precautions that can be taken by physician to make sure that patient information remains safe and secure is by ensuring that their personal devices are safe to them from which they interact with patients. The relation of doctors and patient is of trust and ethical aspects as well. So the physician must take care of all ethically and responsibly to make sure patient information remains secure.

5.Yes it is always possible to balance the wealth of information available to patients via the Internet with a loss of a personal relationship between the patient and caregiver. This can be done by corroborating the information fetched on internet with caregiver and facts on internet about health and medicine cannot be trusted and has to be consulted with caregiver to confirm of any information medically right or not maintaining relation as well.

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