Ethics and professionalism CPD for health practitioners in Australia [email protected]
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Online course · Australia

Telehealth and Online Prescribing: Standards for Australian Practitioners

Safe Virtual Care, Asynchronous Prescribing Limits and Record-Keeping

  • About 3 hours
  • 20 scenario questions
  • Reflective account
  • Certificate of completion
  • Online, self-paced

About this course

Telehealth is now routine, but the Boards' expectations of a telehealth consultation are the same as for in-person care, and online prescribing models have drawn particular regulatory concern. This three-hour course explains how to deliver safe virtual care and where the limits on remote prescribing lie.

The course begins with the regulatory frame: what counts as telehealth, where expectations come from, personal accountability in telehealth businesses and registration, location and indemnity. It then covers clinical suitability, patient factors, video versus telephone, red flags and converting the consultation.

A practical section covers running a safe consultation from preparation to safety-netting, including consent to recording and AI scribes and remote examination. Prescribing via telehealth is covered in detail: the real-time consultation expectation, asynchronous and questionnaire models, drugs of dependence, cross-border prescribing and electronic prescriptions.

Later sections examine single-medicine platforms and commercial pressure, medicinal cannabis, closed loops and advertising, telehealth records and privacy, AI scribes, sharing information and My Health Record, the eligible telehealth practitioner rule, PSR, profession-specific practice, common themes in telehealth concerns, boundaries and a telehealth self-audit.

What you will learn

  • Define telehealth and virtual care and identify the documents that set expectations
  • Decide when telehealth is appropriate and when to convert to in-person or emergency care
  • Run a consultation with identity, location, consent and privacy checks
  • Understand why the Boards expect a real-time consultation before most prescribing
  • Apply state drugs and poisons rules, including monitoring systems, to telehealth prescribing
  • Recognise when a telehealth business model, such as a closed loop with a supplier, compromises care
  • Keep telehealth records and use AI scribes in line with Ahpra guidance and privacy law
  • Apply MBS telehealth eligibility rules and know the PSR patterns for phone and video services

Who this course is for

  • Practitioners in any profession who consult by phone or video
  • Prescribers working for telehealth platforms
  • Practice owners setting up virtual care services
  • Clinical governance leads in digital health businesses
  • Practitioners providing care across state borders

How the course works

  1. Enrol online and the course appears under My Courses in your Probity Courses account, ready to open on a computer, tablet or phone.

  2. Work through 8 sections and 32 short lessons in order, at your own pace. Your place is saved in the browser you use, so you can stop and come back.

  3. Use the key points, scenarios and reflection prompts in each section, and write your own notes as you go; they stay with your course pack.

  4. Finish with a 20-question final assessment. You need 16 correct answers (80%) to pass, and you can retake it after a short pause if needed.

  5. Write your reflective account, submit the short feedback form and your completion is recorded. Download a certificate of completion stating the estimated learning time (about 3 hours); record the time you actually spend.

Course content

9 sections · About 3 hours · 20-question final assessment

1Telehealth in Australian Practice: The Regulatory Frame4 lessons
  • What Counts as Telehealth and Virtual Care
  • Where the Expectations Come From
  • Personal Accountability in Telehealth Businesses
  • Registration, Location and Indemnity
2Deciding Whether Telehealth Is Appropriate4 lessons
  • Clinical Suitability
  • Patient Factors
  • Video or Telephone?
  • Red Flags and Converting the Consultation
3Running a Safe Telehealth Consultation5 lessons
  • Before the Consultation
  • Opening the Consultation
  • Consent: to Telehealth, Recording and AI Scribes
  • Remote History-Taking and Examination
  • Closing, Safety-Netting and Continuity
4Prescribing via Telehealth4 lessons
  • The Real-Time Consultation Expectation
  • Asynchronous and Questionnaire Models
  • Drugs of Dependence and Cross-Border Prescribing
  • Electronic Prescriptions and the Joint Statement
5Single-Medicine Platforms, Commercial Pressure and Conflicts of Interest4 lessons
  • Why Regulators Are Concerned
  • Medicinal Cannabis and Telehealth
  • Conflicts of Interest, Closed Loops and Advertising
  • Clinical Governance Questions to Ask
6Records, Privacy and Technology in Telehealth4 lessons
  • What a Telehealth Record Should Contain
  • Privacy and Security of Platforms, Recordings and Images
  • AI Scribes and Other Supporting Technologies
  • Sharing Information and My Health Record
7Medicare, Billing Integrity and Profession-Specific Practice3 lessons
  • MBS Telehealth: The Eligible Telehealth Practitioner Rule
  • Professional Services Review and Billing Integrity
  • Telehealth Across the Professions
8When Things Go Wrong: Notifications, Boundaries and Self-Audit4 lessons
  • Common Themes in Telehealth Concerns
  • Professional Boundaries in Remote and Digital Care
  • Responding to a Complaint or Notification
  • A Telehealth Self-Audit
9Conclusion, Final Assessment and Reflection4 lessons
  • Conclusion and key points
  • References and quick-reference guide
  • Final assessment (20 questions, 80% pass mark)
  • Your reflective account

Assessment and certificate

  • Certificate of completion stating the estimated learning time (about 3 hours); record the time you actually spend.
  • A written reflective account you can keep with your CPD records.

Questions about this course

Can I prescribe after an online questionnaire without speaking to the patient?

Ahpra and the National Boards have said that prescribing without a real-time consultation is generally not good practice, with limited exceptions. The course explains the position and its implications for asynchronous models.

Do I need registration in the state where the patient is located?

No. National registration allows you to practise anywhere in Australia, but state and territory medicines laws, including monitoring and permit rules, may still apply based on where the patient is.

Can I use an AI scribe in a telehealth consult?

Yes, provided the patient agrees after being told how the tool works, privacy is protected and you check the output. The note is still yours, so errors in it are your responsibility.

Does the course cover MBS telehealth eligibility?

Yes. It explains the established clinical relationship requirement, MyMedicare pathways and documented exemptions.

Can I count this course towards my CPD?

That is your call under your Board's CPD standard: you choose activities that match your scope and the learning needs in your plan. If this course fits, file the certificate of completion, record the time you actually spend and note one change you will make in practice.

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