Establishing trust in emergency telehealth consultations

Jennie Hutton; Veal Michael; Suzanne M Miller; Belinda Baines; Marija Kirjanenko; Loren Sher; Joanna Lawrence; James Boyd; Adam Semciw; Rebecca Jessup; Jason Talevski

doi:10.1111/1742-6723.14543

Establishing trust in emergency telehealth consultations

Emerg Med Australas. 2024 Dec 3. doi: 10.1111/1742-6723.14543. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Jennie Hutton^{1

2

3}, Veal Michael³, Suzanne M Miller^{1

3}, Belinda Baines⁴, Marija Kirjanenko^{1

5}, Loren Sher^{1

2

6}, Joanna Lawrence^{1

2

7}, James Boyd², Adam Semciw², Rebecca Jessup^{2

8}, Jason Talevski^{1

2

6}

Affiliations

¹ Victorian Virtual Emergency Department, The Northern Hospital, Northern Health, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
² School of Psychology and Public Health, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
³ Department of Critical Care, Melbourne Medical School, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
⁴ Allied Health, The Northern Hospital, Northern Health, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
⁵ Plunkett Centre for Ethics, Australian Catholic University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
⁶ School of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences, Institute for Physical Activity and Nutrition Research (IPAN), Deakin University, Geelong, Victoria, Australia.
⁷ Victorian Virtual Specialist Consult Service, The Northern Hospital, Northern Health, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
⁸ Victorian Centre for Virtual Health Research, The Northern Hospital, Northern Health, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.

PMID: 39627849
DOI: 10.1111/1742-6723.14543

Abstract

Over recent years, emergency telehealth has developed rapidly in Australasia. From the patient's perspective, establishing trust with a healthcare provider is uniquely challenging when using the audio and video modalities commonly used in telehealth. It is crucial to consider how we may improve the delivery of care through this emerging pathway if high-quality care is to be delivered. Several simple techniques have been identified in the literature and can be employed to create trust and improve the patient-provider relationship. These include ensuring privacy and an appropriate setting for the consultation; considering how eye contact and expressions are best used; providing alternative options to telehealth; and clearly identifying names, roles and qualifications. We describe how these methods can best be employed in the virtual emergency care setting.

Keywords: doctor–patient relationship; emergency; telemedicine; trust.