Virtual visits

Virtual visits use technology to enable secure video calls between health professionals and patients using a personal cell phone, tablet or computer.

There are currently multiple virtual visit platforms in use across the province. Many health organizations are transitioning from Zoom for Healthcare to Microsoft Teams as the primary tool used to conduct virtual visits.

Find learning resources on the following virtual visit platforms:

PHSA's commitment to Indigenous health is multifaceted, addressing systemic issues and using innovative virtual solutions to improve access to culturally safe and appropriate health care for Indigenous people. The migration to Microsoft Teams from Zoom for Healthcare is one way to ensure alignment and efficient access to care in a timely manner.

Learn about the PHSA-wide work to eradicate Indigenous-specific racism and discrimination and embed Indigenous Cultural Safety and Humility across the organization at the Indigenous Health webpage.

Resources for your patients

Your patients and their loved ones may have questions about virtual visits. You can direct them to the virtual visits patient resources page.

Best practice guide

Best practice guide for virtual visits

Virtual care can improve patient-centred care by offering timely, convenient

and accessible services. This guide outlines key points to help determine if virtual care is suitable at a specific time in a patient’s care journey.

This is not a complete list— programs can adjust or add to these considerations as needed.

Download the printable version

Obtaining patient consent

Verbal or digital consent from the patient is acceptable before use of all virtual health solutions. Requirements are:

Notification of risks has been provided
The list of risks is available in ten languages: English; Arabic; simplified Chinese; traditional Chinese; Farsi; French; Korean; Punjabi; Spanish and Vietnamese).
Reasonable efforts have been made to validate the patient's identity (see Identity Validation (PDF)).

Safety and consent

Patient safety and consent

All existing privacy and confidentiality policies still apply when using virtual care.

Health care providers should review Privacy and Security 101 training on the LearningHub to stay current with their responsibilities.

To help protect patient information during virtual visits, providers should:

Use a private space for all virtual visits
Position their screens so others cannot see any information on display
Adjust volume settings to protect privacy - use a headset if sharing a space

Learn more in the best practice guide for virtual visits

Using approved technology

Provincial Virtual Health, IMITS, and PHSA Information Access & Privacy ensure that approved virtual platforms meet safety and privacy standards.
Providers must use only approved virtual health tools.
A list of endorsed platforms is available on the Provincial Virtual Health webpage, or by contacting: provincialvirtualhealth@phsa.ca.
It is recommended to use PHSA password-protected devices and remote login for virtual care. These devices are managed by IMITS and meet PHSA’s network security standards.
If a PHSA device is not available, providers or contractors must follow the requirements in IMITs Standard #19 to ensure secure use of virtual health tools.

Reducing identity errors

There is a higher risk of identity errors when using non-visual virtual care methods like email, text, or phone.
To help reduce this risk, ask the patient to send the first message (email or text) before sharing any personal health information. This helps confirm the patient’s identity and protects their privacy. If a patient wishes to record or take pictures of their virtual visit please refer to the PHSA Policy and Procedures for Audio, Video and Photographic Records for more information.

Language accessibility

Language access guide for virtual visits

Health care providers can access high-quality language services for linguistically and culturally diverse clients, including immigrants, refugees, official minority language speakers and members of the Deaf, Deaf-Blind and Hard of Hearing community.

The language access guide is intended for health care providers and provides an overview of how to request interpretation services to be used in a virtual visit.

Download the printable guide

The process at a glance

Providers can submit a request for an interpreter from Provincial Language Services using the online interpreter booking platform known as the Customer Service Module. Providers will need a Provincial Language Services account to create a request on the platform.

Determining the need for interpreter services

When completing the Provincial Language Services request form, the provider will need to determine if the request requires the use of Microsoft Teams or Zoom for Healthcare.

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