How to make the most of virtual appointments


4 November 2020

The coronavirus pandemic has had a major impact on NHS services and how we contact our health professionals, with more being done virtually now than ever before. Telephone and video appointments are quickly becoming part of our new normal, but they can feel very different from speaking to your MS team face to face.

 

To help you prepare and get out of them what you need, we’ve put together some top tips for making the most of virtual appointments. 

Getting prepared beforehand 

  • Find the right environment. With virtual appointments it’s down to you to find an appropriate setting for the call. Have a think beforehand about where you’d feel most comfortable. Is there a quiet room in your house which would give you a private space to talk? If you have a particularly busy household, let your family know you’re having a private call to reduce the chance of interruptions. 
  • Allow time to get the technology set up. Make sure your phone, tablet or laptop is fully charged. Test out the camera too – is there enough light in the room so you can be seen? If it’s a video appointment and you need to download an app or log into another platform, then do this in plenty of time just in case there are any hiccups.

Make sure your health professional team has your telephone number. We all know that technology can go wrong and if, for example, it goes down in the middle of the video call your team will most likely phone you.

Val Stevenson, Consultant neurologist
  • Consider the device you’re using. If it’s a video call and you want to show visible symptoms, such as changes to your walking, then using a tablet on a stand, a laptop or a webcam on a computer may be more practical than trying to balance your phone on pieces of furniture. 
  • Make some notes beforehand. Prepare as you normally would for a face-to-face appointment by writing down what you’d like to discuss. Have things changed with your MS? Are there particular symptoms you’re struggling with? Are side effects from medication becoming a problem? Make a list of all these things. You might want to put the most important things at the top of list to make sure they get covered.

If it’s a video appointment make sure you’re ready five minutes beforehand to log on to the call.

– Person with MS

During the appointment 

  • Use your notes. Start by letting your health professional know what you want to talk about, then work through your list of priorities one by one. There may be other things your health professional raises which need to be discussed too. 
  • Be prepared to take notes. Have a notepad and pen ready so you can make notes during the appointment. If you’re using your phone, consider using the loudspeaker function so you can take notes at the same time.
  • Ask questions. Don’t be afraid to ask questions if you’re not clear on something your health professional has said or if you want a more detailed answer.

It’s really difficult if people talk at the same time or interrupt each other on a video call. If the doctor, nurse or therapist is talking and you don’t catch something or perhaps the sound freezes, using your hand as a signal is an easy way to stop them. Then you ask for a recap of what they’ve said.

– Val Stevenson, Consultant neurologist 
  • Clarify what happens next. It can be helpful to finish the appointment with a quick summary of what’s been discussed and the next steps that need to be taken. Is there anything you’ve been asked to do following the appointment? Is your MS nurse or neurologist referring you on to another service? Keep a note of what needs to happen next and when. 

Don't be afraid to ask them to change the set up so you feel more connected. In my appointment the nurse started looking to one side because of the different screens/webcam position, so it was like they were addressing someone else! I flagged it and they shifted so they were looking into the camera and we had eye contact. It’s so important when you're not face to face.

– Person with MS

After the appointment 

  • Go through your action points. Maybe you need to pick up a prescription for a new medication or try some new management strategies for your fatigue. Take some time to try out the advice you’ve been given. 
  • Review how the appointment went. Did you get everything out of the appointment that you needed to? Was there enough time to cover everything on your list? Make a note of anything you didn’t talk about so you can prioritise this next time.  

My video appointment worked well. There was no hassle travelling to the appointment, parking and sitting in the waiting room. 

– Person with MS

I've had several positive video appointments. My MS nurse was able to share his screen and show me my MRI scans which was great.

– Person with MS

Although virtual appointments can be very productive for some people, they’re not always appropriate for everyone. If you feel that a virtual appointment hasn’t worked well for you then do speak to your MS team about the possibility of seeing someone face to face.

More tips from a health professional

In this video we hear from consultant neurologist, Val Stevenson who explains what to expect from a virtual appointment and gives her tips for getting most out of them.