Veterinary Telemedicine
Vet telemedicine allows veterinarians to run remote consultations. This way the patient does not have to be physically present at the veterinary practice and improves the accessibility and delivery of pet healthcare and welfare.
Veterinarians can offer telemedicine services when:
- A veterinarian-client-patient relationship exists
- A veterinarian-client-patient relationship DOES NOT exist, but in a general advice capacity only
Guidelines
- Confidentiality for the veterinarian-client-patient relationship must exist
- Telemedicine consultations must follow local legal and regulatory requirements
- Complete and accurate medical records must be produced and retained
- The veterinarian must be registered in the jurisdiction where the animal is located
- Clients should be made aware of the limitations of telemedicine
- Clients must have the ability to accurately describe signs to the veterinarian and that the technology is fit for purposes
- The veterinarian must give options of a physical visit to the practice, collection of patient, or house visit
- The veterinarian must obtain pet owner consent for the use of telemedicine
- Accurate medical records should be sent to the client’s regular vet in a timely manner
- The supply of drugs must only occur when the vet is confident in the diagnosis of the medical condition
- Without a veterinarian-client-patient relationship, advice must only be general and not specific to the patient, diagnosis, or treatment, and the veterinarian’s records state this.
Types of telemedicine consutlations
- Triage - Where the client is not sure if the condition is serious or not
- Financial constraints - A quick chat may save money before proceeding with a physical consultation
- Behavior consultations
Service providers
Telemedicine does not need to be affiliated with the vet practice. Veterinarians can enroll in third-party apps to support their team during or out of hours. Most of these apps allow the practices to use their own veterinarians or connect with different providers if their vets are not available. The alternative is for veterinarians to offer services via free video conference software such as Facetime, Zoom, Google Meets, Microsoft Team.
Examples
- YourPetPA
- VetChat
- Pawssum Telepet
- Phone A Vet for regional vet support
Additional Resources
- Australian Veterinary Association
- Veterinary Practitioners Registration Board of Victoria
- Veterinary Practitioners Board of New South Wales
- Veterinary Surgeons Board of Western Australia