Additional Considerations for Videoconferencing

In supplement of aforementioned ethical and legal considerations that should be considered prior to beginning the use of videoconferencing, once the provider begins services, they should enact several additional procedures to foster ongoing ethical and legal practice. More specifically, at the onset of each session, the provider should briefly verify the identity of the patient. This is especially important for those beginning videoconferencing services without having seen the patient in a F2F session. While identity verification may become less important as sessions progress (i.e., the provider recognizes the patient’s appearance and voice), it is still a suggested strategy that can add an extra layer of security, especially in situations in which an individual may attempt to impersonate another (e.g., legal situations). One of the easiest means of identifying a patient’s identity is to have them hold up a photo identification (e.g., license, passport) to the video camera.

In addition to verifying the patient’s identity, in order to ensure that the provider remains informed, they should ask the patient if anyone else is in the videoconferencing room and will be participating in the session. As it is common for some patients to include family members, spouses, friends, community members, or children in sessions, it would be prudent for the provider to directly ask about this possibility before beginning and discussing anything confidential. This remains true even if the provider has no concerns with other members being present or participating.

Finally, the provider should ask about the patient’s location, even if the location appears similar from session to session. This can help ensure that the provider does not practice in an unlicensed location. This is especially true if the patient often switches rooms in a home, is prone to having sessions in different locations due to a need to secure privacy or adapt to demands (e.g., work schedules not allowing the patient to return home), or travels for work (e.g., travels across states or countries, lives on a state line and goes short distances between two states for work).