Telehealth Guidelines Tightened Amid Rising Safety and Ethical Concerns
Updated regulations aim to balance convenience with quality of care in the rapidly expanding virtual healthcare landscape.
Australia’s regulatory body for health practitioners, Ahpra, has announced updated guidance for telehealth and virtual care, responding to growing concerns about unethical practices and business models prioritizing profit over patient safety. The revisions seek to ensure that the convenience of remote healthcare doesn’t compromise the quality or safety of medical services.
“Telehealth has been great in making it easier for people to get the care they need,” a senior Ahpra official stated. “We just want to make sure that convenience doesn’t come at the cost of safety or quality.”
The updated guidance specifically addresses concerns surrounding prescribing practices, warning against relying solely on text messages, emails, or online questionnaires for patient assessment. Instead, it emphasizes the importance of face-to-face, video, or telephone consultations to ensure proper evaluation and accountability.New case studies have been incorporated to help practitioners avoid common pitfalls in telehealth delivery.
The regulations reaffirm that the same standards of care apply to telehealth services as to in-person consultations. A key principle reinforced is that the responsibility for healthcare provided via telehealth rests with the practitioner, not their employer. This clarification is particularly relevant for practitioners working in telehealth-only clinics, especially those specializing in single treatments or medications. Thes practitioners are encouraged to thoroughly review their clinical governance frameworks to prevent commercial interests from influencing patient care.
According to the guidance, best practices in telehealth include:
- Sharing data in a clear and accessible manner for patients.
- Obtaining comprehensive medical history and background information.
- Securing informed consent, particularly when utilizing technologies like AI scribes.
- Limiting prescriptions to cases where a prior face-to-face, video, or telephone consultation has occurred.
- Informing patients when telehealth is insufficient to meet their needs and offering alternative options, such as in-person appointments.
- Verifying patient identity.
“As a health practitioner, yoru duty of care to your patients should always come first. That responsibility sits with you – not your employer,” emphasized the Chair of the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia, Adjunct Professor Veronica Casey.
The rise of telehealth has been significant, with the Australian Bureau of Statistics reporting that one in four Australians engaged in a telehealth consultation in the 2023-24 period. Ahpra indicated it will continue to collaborate with other regulatory bodies to monitor the growth of telehealth and assess the potential need for further regulation.
This increased adoption has also been accompanied by a surge in complaints. Ahpra recorded 586 notifications related to telehealth services in the 2024-25 period, all of which are being thoroughly investigated.Recent tribunal decisions have underscored that professional obligations remain consistent irrespective of the consultation method.
Practitioners can access the updated guidance on the ahpra website https://www.ahpra.gov.au/
