Research shows that once the technical aspects of set-up are completed, telephone appointments tend to be similar to traditional face-to-face ones.
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At the beginning of the call, the clinician will introduce themselves. They will then ask you to confirm your name and provide details such as your date of birth or address so that they are sure they are talking to the correct person. The clinician will then explain what they hope to discuss during the call and ask if you have any additional topics that you would like to cover.
Once the technical aspects are set-up, telephone and video appointments tend to be similar to traditional face-to-face ones.
Research shows that once the technical aspects of set-up are completed, video appointments tend to be similar to traditional face-to-face ones.
For all the information you will need, click this link.
You will be sent an email from your clinician with a link to an MS Teams meeting. You do not need to download or install anything. Five minutes before the appointment time, find the email and click on the meeting link and it should connect you with your clinician.
Once the technical aspects are set-up, video appointments tend to be similar to traditional face-to-face ones.
Your clinician will have sent you an email with a link to the meeting. Click this link and you will be taken to a virtual waiting room. Your clinician will then let you in to the meeting.
Once the technical aspects of the appointment are set-up, a video appointment tends to be similar to a traditional face-to-face one.
Try to be in a place where there is good lighting, and the clinician can clearly see your face. You do not have to look directly at the camera. Looking at the screen of your computer, phone or laptop is enough to let the clinician know you are listening.
The video platform (MS Teams) is compatible with assistive devices like screen readers and braille keyboards, colour contrast and screen magnification should be available to you on your personal computer, and captioning can be turned on.
Help with accessibility features can be found here:
Quick Start Guide: Using Microsoft Teams with a screen reader – Microsoft Support
Basic tasks using a screen reader with Microsoft Teams – Microsoft Support
Still need help?
Tell your clinician that you are interested in future sessions being via telephone and/or video appointments and discuss if this is possible for you.
As with any appointment, you can request a change to the time, or change to an in-person appointment, by contacting the your health professional.
The telephone call is a direct link to the number that you have provided. It is safe and secure as long as you are in a private place to take the call and nobody can overhear your conversation.
Only you and your clinician have access to the video appointment link, unless you have asked other people to be included. No one else can access the link unless you have shared it with others.
Because webcams provide a limited view, your clinician may not be able to see much beyond your face and what is directly behind you. Tell them who is with you or things that are happening out of view (e.g. “my children have just come in to the room”) so they are aware.
An interpreter can be booked for your telephone or video appointment. Discuss this with your clinician and they will arrange it for you in advance of your appointment.
Telephone and video appointments sometimes suffer from technical problems due to busy networks or poor connection. This can result in unclear sound, or blurry and frozen images. Having a good internet connection and familiar equipment helps, otherwise there may not be much you can do to change this and the telephone or video appointment may turn out to be less fluid than an in-person appointment.
Let your clinician know that you are experiencing technical problems if they happen by describing what is happening (e.g. “your picture has frozen but I can still hear you”).
You may need to speak clearly and slowly or repeat what you have said. You may need to ask your clinician for clarification. If there is a technical problem, you may try ending the call or video and restarting it. After restarting repeat the last thing that you heard or said.
If your clinician is giving you important information, repeat it back to them and confirm that you have heard it correctly. Have a pen and paper to note things down during your assessment or ask that the clinician send you an email at the end of the appointment with the information you would like a record of. If it is a short message, you can also ask that they use the chat function so you see the information in a written format.
If a physical examination of any kind is necessary, then an in-person appointment will be arranged.
During a video appointment some aspects of a physical assessment may be undertaken through observation.
There are ways that you can help with this:
1. Make sure you are in a well-lit room
2. Make sure your technology/equipment is in working order (e.g. the batteries are charged)
3. You may be asked to move your camera/device so the clinician can get a better view
4. If you know how, you can reverse the camera on your device so you can see what your clinician is seeing
5. You can ask a support person to help
6. Don’t rush
7. Ask your clinician to demonstrate for you what they would like you to do.
The end of a telephone or video appointment are different to an in-person appointment, where the clinician will stand up, move towards the door, perhaps shake your hand and say goodbye. You both need to indicate that the appointment is coming to an end.
Your clinician will probably ask you if there is anything else you want to discuss. You can summarise important information or clarify things that might have been missed as a result of technical problems. Your clinician will then make some suggestions for when your next appointment could be.
The video appointment ends when you click the red “leave meeting” button. Don’t worry if you cannot find it, your clinician will close the session.
Be familiar with the environment that you are in when joining the telephone or video appointment in case there is an emergency like a fire and you need to evacuate. If you have not already provided your clinician with emergency contact information in case you become unwell then do this at the beginning on the appointment. If you use a medical alert system such as a “St John medical alarm” then activate this if there is a medical emergency. Tell your clinician as soon as you begin to feel unwell and ask for their advice.