Journal of Telemedicine and Telecare > Volume 15, Number 4 > Pp. 171-174

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RESEARCH Original articles

Informed consent for videoconsultations in Canada

Isabelle Chouinard ^*  and Richard E Scott 

^* Department of Community Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Calgary, Alberta; Global E-Health Research and Training Program, Health Innovation and Information Technology Centre, University of Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Correspondence: Isabelle Chouinard, Department of Community Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Calgary, Heritage Medical Research Building Room G02, 3330 Hospital Drive NW, Alberta T2 N 4N1, Canada (Fax: +1 403 270 7307; Email: ichouina{at}ucalgary.ca)

We performed a qualitative study of the practice of informed consent for videoconsultation in Canada. Fourteen cases were examined: the 13 provinces and territories, and the Federal jurisdiction representing aboriginal groups. Twenty-seven interviews were conducted with key informants (14 telehealth experts, 13 legal experts). The telehealth experts were people with direct experience of telehealth practice. The majority of the telehealth experts agreed that videoconsultations had not been integrated into the health-care system. An interesting finding of the study was that the integration status of videoconsultations was not indicative of informed consent practices. Telehealth providers favoured express written consent, or risk management practices, although there was a desire to move towards implied consent models for videoconsultations. The study also showed that the legal ramifications of the electronic transmission of non-recorded, real-time, personal health information had not been explored. This represents an important factor in guiding future consent for videoconsultations in Canada.

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