How should staff be trained to use telemedicine?
The recommended method of training for all staff involved in conducting specialist consultations via telemedicine uses the well-known educational principle of “learning by doing”. Relatively little new subject matter exists to master with the exception of how the technology is operated. The primary focus should be on learning the skills to make the consultation proceed smoothly and effectively in accordance with the protocol that has been approved. In order to accomplish this, the training should focus on everything from scheduling the patient to providing information for billing with the primary emphasis on the encounter itself. Separate training sessions can be organized for the provider site and the remote site as a first step, but ultimately supervised practice sessions should be conducted before the service is offered to real patients for the first time. There are a number of organizations that provide training and training materials.
