Virtual care has increased in recent years due to advances in technology and the need for remote health-care services. Many health-care professionals have started using virtual care to remotely deliver care to clients. Midwives meet all the BCCNM standards in virtual care settings that apply in face-to-face settings.
What will I learn?
Standards
BCCNM doesn't have a specific standard for virtual care. As a health-care professional, your responsibilities to meet relevant standards and workplace policies remain unchanged regardless of the way care is provided.
What is virtual care?
Virtual care is when health-care professionals provide and deliver care to clients using technology. Phone calls, email, video/audio conferencing, and instant messaging are some ways to provide virtual care.
When providing care virtually, act in the best interest of your clients, use your clinical judgment, and follow BCCNM standards and workplace policies to decide the best way (virtual or in-person) to meet client needs. A virtual care assessment does not take the place of an in-person assessment.
In all practice settings, consider:
Virtual care for a B.C. resident
A B.C. resident is someone who primarily lives in B.C. When a B.C. resident visits another province or country, even though they may not be physically in B.C., they are still a B.C. resident. A person who lives in another province or country and visits B.C. is not a B.C. resident. For example, a person who lives primarily in Ontario and visits B.C. for a period of time is not considered a B.C. resident for health-care purposes.
Midwives registered in a jurisdiction other than B.C. must hold practising registration with BCCNM before providing virtual or in-person care to a B.C. resident. For example, an Ontario midwife who works for an online health-care provider must register with BCCNM before they can provide virtual care to a B.C. resident.
Also, you may only act with client-specific orders (virtual or in-person) from a regulated health-care provider licensed to practice in B.C. For example, you can't act with an order from a doctor who is licensed in Alberta.
Virtual care for a non-B.C. person
Midwives registered with BCCNM may provide virtual care to clients outside B.C. if they meet the requirements of the regulatory body in the jurisdiction where the client lives. Each jurisdiction may be different so be sure to check the requirements that need to be met before you provide care.
Before providing care in another jurisdiction, ask:
It's strongly recommended that you contact your professional liability protection provider before providing care across jurisdictions, especially if you are providing care outside of Canada.
Case scenarios
- Scenario One
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Robert, a B.C. nurse, works in a cardiac rehab clinic. He conducts many client appointments virtually. His client, Rita, has an appointment scheduled for when she is away visiting family in Nova Scotia. Can Robert provide care to Rita?
Yes. Rita lives in B.C. and is considered a B.C. person, even though she isn’t physically present in B.C. when Robert provides care. Robert contacts Nova Scotia’s nursing regulator to find out if there are any conditions he needs to meet before providing care to Rita.
- Scenario Two
Libby, an NP registered in Alberta, finds the clinic where she works has more B.C. people seeking virtual and in-person care. She is not surprised, as she lives close to the border between Alberta and B.C. Can Libby provide care for these B.C. people?
Libby must first register with BCCNM before providing care to any B.C. person. She contacts BCCNM and gains a practicing registration before offering her services to people from B.C.
- Scenario Three
Billie, a B.C. midwife, is at a conference in Toronto. She is also on-call for the clinic she works for. Billie gets a call from Sasha, one of the clinic’s clients, and sets up a virtual appointment. Can Billie provide virtual care to Sasha from Toronto?
Billie is a B.C. midwife who is providing care to a B.C. client. Even though she isn’t physically in B.C., she is authorized by BCCNM to provide care to B.C. persons. Billie also checks with the College of Midwives of Ontario to see if there are any restrictions or requirements she must meet while practicing there.