Patient Consent Form:
Renfrew County VTAC offers virtual care to increase access to care for all residents of Renfrew County. We use phone and video technologies for most patient encounters. Many health concerns can be addressed with virtual care alone, but in some cases your VTAC doctor may ask you to attend a VTAC Clinical Assessment Centre for a physical examination or to go to an Emergency Department if necessary.
We do our best to make sure that any information you give to us during virtual care visits is private and secure, but no video or audio tools are ever completely secure. There is an increased security risk that your health information may be intercepted or disclosed to third parties when using video or audio communications tools. To help us keep your information safe and secure, you can:
- Understand that this method of communication is not secure in the same way as a private appointment in an exam room;
- Use a private computer/device (i.e., not an employer’s or third party’s computer/device) and a secure internet connection. For example, using a personal computer or tablet is more secure than at a library;
- Access to the Internet through your home network will generally be more secure than an open guest Wi-Fi connection.
By accepting a VTAC appointment, you acknowledge and agree to the recording of your interactions with your healthcare provider using ambient scribe technology, for the purpose of improving medical documentation, reducing physician administrative work and facilitating your ongoing care, while ensuring the confidentiality and privacy of your recorded information in compliance with health and privacy legislation in Canada.
If you are concerned about using video or audio tools for virtual care, you can ask the VTAC medical receptionist if an in-person assessment at a VTAC Clinical Assessment Centre would be appropriate. Generally these are completed initially by a community paramedic, although a doctor is always available by video if required.
You should also understand that virtual care is not a substitute for in-person communication or, when needed, for attending an Emergency Department (including for any urgent care that may be required).
By providing your information, you agree to let us collect and use your personal health information through video or audio communications (while following applicable Canadian privacy laws) in order to provide you with care. You also allow us to use anonymized, aggregated information for quality improvement, audit and research purposes that may include publication in peer reviewed journals and other publications.