Consulting on the telephone requires a different skill-set, relying on common sense and improvisation. Learning how to do this effectively is necessary to safeguard patients and your professional position, says GP and popular author Dr Tony Males
Document telephone consultations contemporaneously. Obtain and document a thorough history. Telephone consultations do not give a GP the opportunity to assess clinical signs.
Mr B, a 35-year-old businessman, consulted Mr L, a urologist, over the telephone requesting a vasectomy.
Mrs G, a 50-year-old baker, became unwell with what appeared to be flu. There was an outbreak of flu in the area at the time. Mrs G telephoned her GP surgery and spoke to a receptionist who told her to take bed rest, plenty of fluids and paracetamol.
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