What Are The Medicolegal Implications Of Virtual Clinics?

Recently there has been increased interest in the use and development of virtual clinics, particularly in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. The need to provide clinical care, while minimising patient interaction, has led to wider adoption of both telephone and online consultations, with the potential complications and pitfalls that accompany such a change in practice. A literature search was performed using the Pubmed, MEDLINE and Embase databases, from database inception up to 25 January 2021. A total of 21 papers were identified as discussing virtual clinical assessment and the medicolegal implications. The main areas of concern included consent, misdiagnosis, lack of physical examination, privacy and patient satisfaction. This article assesses these areas and suggests techniques to address them.