Is anyone aware of any guidelines on ensuring patient confidentiality during telehealth conversations?
Two trends are converging to pose a challenge here:
The increasing use of Collaborative Workspaces (open plan offices)
Increasing use of video conferencing in general
Workers are becomming increasingly used to having video conference meetings from open plan office envrionments. With a lack of dedicated quiet booths or offices, there may be the temptation to conduct conversations with patients or other telehealth clinic activitis in an open plan office environment. I’m wondering if there are any guidelines from any professional body on the appropriateness of this?
For a good example of a dedicated telehealth booth, see the link below.
Many people may look at moving at least some of their consultations online so they can continue contact with their clients virtually. For members who are taking this step, I would like to remind them of the NZ Psychologists Board’s document Best Practice Guideline – The Practice of Telepsychology obtainable at http://www.psychologistsboard.org.nz/resources/resources#BPG. This document is very useful for assisting us to practise online safely and effectively. Several other documents are available that may assist people to learn more about online therapy and other aspects of practising during the pandemic:
I will add from personal experience that clients are often sensible about confidentiality, e.g. recognising most health professionals offices aren’t sound proofed anyway LOL. Also a lot of guidelines focus on having a health professional at each end of the telehealth work. In experience (esp during COVID) this is not possible but we have had good experiences setting up family/friends/whanau as either support people during the session or assisting the client into self guided de-escalation after a session.
@damon - yes, these discussions are definitely happening and the challenges are not just at our provider end. The consumers are often finding it difficult to find a private room at home or talk in the environment they find themselves in.
I know that guidlines are under discussion but we need to make sure they are not onerous for either the consumer or the provider. In fact if we reversed the situation and asked what are we doing about those conversations at the hospital bedside - do we have guidance available that covers consumer contact in any given environment?
Agreed Becky nicely put. I’m reminded of visiting call centres and how well multiple people with little physical space have conversations next to each other - break out rooms are there if needed if sensitive conversations raise their heads - and wonder where the barriers may truly lie at times.
I think a great point raised here is about ensuring our tangata whaiora consider background noise and interruption prior to the apt.
At the start of lockdown ANZASW produced a guide for e-Social Work, which includes using headsets and the use of a space where the social worker will not be interrupted. The Guidelines were primarily a way of providing members with information about platforms and how to conduct video conferences.
I think that Becky’s comment is very valid - curtains around a bed are not sound proof!