​LOGISTICAL FACTORS to consider when using telephone consults

Patient Factors

•  Availability of the carer
•  Care of dependants
•  Transport and capacity to use it
•  Confidentiality

Practice Factors

•  Appointment system (capacity, flexibility and skill-mix)
•  Timetabling for tele-consults
•  Time of day of call
•  Distance between patient and practice
•  Billing arrangements.

out-of-hours service factors

•  Time of day/night (number of professionals available)
•  Distance between patient and practice or appropriate after-hours health services

Locality Factors

•  Dispensing arrangements
•  Distance between patient and services
•  Traffic (in urban areas)

flowchart for determining the type of consultation

examples of appropriate consultation methods

GP Tele-consult

• Specialist report
• Pathology/Radiology result
• Long-term medication prescription repeat
• Medication issues
• Chronic disease management
• Progress welfare/management check
• Follow-up of acute presentations e.g. home visit or ED discharge
• Coaching
• Complaint management

RN Tele-consult

• ​​Progress welfare/management check
• Coaching​

Face-to-face GP consult

• Change or medication/request required
• Prescription request for drugs of dependence
• Physical examination required (beyond patient observations)
• First appointment/ new symptom

 +Face-to-face RN consult for patient                          observations

• ​Long-term medication prescription repeat
• Chronic disease management
• First appointment/ new symptom