Video Consultations must not be scheduled for patients with critical medical conditions and/or for emergencies. Such consultations are suitable only for basic follow-ups between the patient and doctor and/or preliminary consultation before meeting the doctor in person.
Video Consultation Appointment Timing: While the patient team may specify the preferred appointment timing for a Video Consultation, AIMS2Health may have to reschedule the appointment for a number of reasons. If the alternative timing is not convenient, the patient team can request that it be further rescheduled. Due to unpredictable medical emergencies, it may be that the AIMS2Health’s doctors are sometimes unable to attend to the video consultation exactly at the appointed time. In such cases, the session might be rescheduled to a later time in consultation with the patient team.
Video Consultation Duration: By default the average duration of a Video Consultation will be of 15 minutes duration or as may be agreed by the AIMS2Health doctors team and patient’s team. AIMS2Health reserves the right to decide when the consultation ends. This could be earlier than the maximum possible duration. If the AIMS2Health’s doctors has to be conclude the video consultation mid-way due to a medical emergency, then a new session at an alternative timing will be scheduled.
Video Session Quality: The quality of the video session depends on the quality of the Internet connection, web cam and audio facilities of both the patient and AIMS2Health’s doctors. It is the responsibility of the patient team to ensure that the performance and quality of the equipment and connection used, are optimal for doing video calls online. Video Consultations that fail on account of poor equipment and connectivity will not be rescheduled for free and there shall be no refund of any payment made by the patient team.
Video Session Privacy, Security & Etiquette: It is required that the patient prepares ahead of time to participate in the Video Consultation, in a quiet and private place, where only the patient team is present in the room where the video session is being held. For elderly or disabled patients who require help to participate in the video, a caregiver may also be present. There must be no audio/video recording of the video session by the patient. It is necessary that the patient (and any caregiver) act with proper decorum in speech and action during the video consultation. Failure to comply with these requirements may result in termination of the video session with no refund or rescheduling of the consultation.
Test the device—such as smartphone, tablet (e.g., iPad), laptop, or desktop computer, and check
Internet connectivity—use broadband internet connection >1 Mbs or confirm the availability of a strong Wi-Fi/4G signal. If possible, use a wired connection
Power—check the device battery is fully charged or it is plugged in
Camera—adjust the position or angle so that you can be clearly seen by the doctor
Microphone and speakers—test them before the consultation.
Room—find a private quiet space where the sound from the video consultation will not be overheard by others.
Lighting—ensure the room is well lit. Cameras need more light than the human eye to produce a quality image. Use a broad light source with daylight, as this lessens shadows and reduces contrast. Position yourself towards the source of light, e.g., if the window is the source of light, look towards it when looking into the camera. Avoid a high intensity light behind you as this darkens the image and the doctor may not be able to see you clearly.
Appearance—check your appearance on the screen. Is the camera at the right distance from you so that the doctor can see you or the relevant body part for examination, and not just your face?
Assistance—consider asking a family member or a carer to join you. This may be the patient’s spouse, parent or friend who can help support the patient during the consultation. They may also have their own questions or concerns about the condition, which should be addressed. The inclusion of a partner or carer is essential, especially in a “bad news” conversation. Two pairs of ears are better than one, especially when the information being received is negative, unexpected and/or difficult to understand. In such situations, it can be hard for the patient to take in. For such conversations, find out when the family member is available to be party to the conversation. They could help by taking notes of key actions or hold the smartphone during the examination. If the doctor will not be able to see the person who may be with you, let the doctor know they are present so that they could be involved in the consultation, if appropriate. Consider the role of the patient’s partner or carer during the consultation.
Technical check—go to AIMS2Health website, check you have got a compatible browser, do a speed test to see you have the appropriate download and upload rate.
Appointment Time—Check your appointment time, be on time and preferably be online a few minutes early.
Online Waiting Room—The doctors team may be delayed for unavoidable reasons; you may have to be in an online waiting room for a short while.
Examination—Depending on the reason for the consultation (e.g., a rash or swelling), consider wearing clothing that would enable the doctor to examine you by video.
Measurements—if you have home devices such as a thermometer, oximeter, blood pressure or blood glucose measurement monitor, do the measurements as needed before the consultation.
Questions and notes—consider making a written list of concerns and queries before the consultation and record any important information about medical history such as allergies.
Medication(s)—prepare the list of current medication(s) you are taking.
Smartphone functions and features—familiarise yourself with the settings, functions, and features of your phone video consultation app, including the mute button or the video on/off button.
Introduction—introduce yourself, and inform the doctor at the start of the consultation of who else is with you if they are out of view.
Audio and video—check the doctor can see and hear you clearly; otherwise a telephone consultation may be more appropriate.
Notes—make notes of key points and actions.
Questions—do ask questions and share any your ideas, concerns, needs and expectations you may have as you would in a face-to-face consultation.
Guidance—Ask the doctor where and what to read anything on the internet or on the AIMS2Health website about their condition, and to suggest ways in which access to additional information and support, including sign-posting to counselling, support services and patient support groups can be obtained.
Many different challenging interactions occur daily. These challenging interactions may arise due to discrepancies in expectation, perception and/or communication between the patient and doctor, and could be caused by the doctor, by the patient or by both.
opening the video consultation
dealing with disruption to conversational flow (e.g., technical issues with audio and/or video), and
conducting an examination.
We will call you. Please call us only if you do not hear from us within a 2 hour timeframe as explained below.
Appointment times are approximate and you must be near your phone for 2 hours (1/2hour before and 1.5 hour after your booked slot).
We try to adhere to the appointment times. However, this may not happen sometimes when earlier appointments take longer than usual OR the doctor concerned has an emergency to deal with.
We make 2 attempts to contact you; if you do not answer the phone it will be considered as ‘Did Not Attend’. A cancellation fee may be applicable and a new appointment has to be scheduled if still required.
Please note the phone call may come from unknown or private number.
If you cannot keep your appointment or you need to reschedule it, you will need to call us. We know your time is valuable, just as that of our doctors. We require a 2-hour notice so that we can give your appointment time to another patient who can attend.
If there are any circumstances beyond your control which prevent you from cancelling your appointment with sufficient notice you should let us know as soon as possible.
What to do if I become very unwell in the meantime? A cancellation fee of Rs. 100 for standard GP consultation applies to non-attendance or late cancellations (less than 2 hours prior to your appointment).