Problem
Search the website of CMPA, CMA, the local hospital, or the local health authority for policies related to eCommunication tools. (Use search words such as social media, cell phones, mobile devices, electronic communication, telehealth, e-mail, etc.). Choose one policy or set of guidelines and make a professional-appearing informational poster for your office that summarizes the information. Be sure to give credit to your source(s) by providing a reference citation.
Topics for Discussion:
I. An institution calls and states that it has admitted your patient and needs information. You have no documented or prior knowledge of this admission. How would you handle the call?
II. You need to get in touch with a patient on an urgent basis, but all you get is a voicemail greeting that gives only the patient's phone number. What would you do?
III. A concerned mother calls and is sure that her daughter, who is 18, has an appointment with you today. She wants to leave a message for her. You know that the daughter does not want her mother to know about the office visit. How would you handle the call?
IV. You have highly confidential information that a referral facility needs immediately. The only way to get it there is by fax machine. How would you ensure that the receiving facility gets the appropriate information?
V. Many phones have call display. You have called Mr. Baxter's home, but the call went to the answering machine, which identified only the telephone number. You did not leave a message, but his wife saw your number on the call display and is calling to see what the call was about. How would you respond? How can you prevent this in the future?
VI. A friend and colleague has taken an inappropriate and unsolicited picture of a patient in a long-term care facility. She posted the picture to a social media site because she thought it was "interesting." You do not "like" or "share" the image. When you see your friend, she asks you about it. What advice can you give your friend?
VII. You receive a text message from a patient you know personally; he is asking for medical advice. What advice can you give the patient? How would you go about doing this?