Conducting a Video Consultation

How a Video Consultation is Conducted

Dr McColl will telephone you at the time of video consultation.  You should have a computer with a camera either built in or attached.  If the camera is attached we suggest the Logitech HD Pro 910 which costs about $120 from Officeworks, Harvey Norman or Dick Smith's.  You should have several good quality focused images of the patient's skin problem on your computer and be able to access these images and your patient's file easily during the video consultation.

At the beginning of the consultation you should log into http://www.gotomeeting.com/. Dr McColl will give you the meeting ID number.  You click the Join a Meeting tab at the top of the http://www.gotomeeting.com/ page and enter the ID number given to you.  You will also then be asked to enter your email address and name. 

You will then be connected to the meeting and can view Dr McColl's camera image and your own on the screen.  You should put your telephone into speaker mode so that the patient can listen to the consultation and ask questions.  Dr McColl will then make you the presenter of the meeting and he can then see your computer screen.  You then bring up the patient's images for discussion and any pathology reports or results you have in the patient's record that may be relevant. Dr McColl will then advise you on the diagnosis, on any further tests that need to be done or what treatment to prescribe and you can then organise these scripts or tests for the patient.


Dr McColl actually prefers to view the patient's images prior to the video consultation. You can submit them to a secure website at http://www.skinconsult.com.au/ Teledermatology using your own username and password. To register for this site phone Dr McColl at 0755980133.


Video conferencing can also be conducted using Apple Face Time if you have an iPhone 4 or an iPad 2 and wifi connections or using Skype video telephone calls. With Skype you still need to have a good camera such as the Logitech Pro HD 910. Skype is a good option but the bandwidth compression used imposes limits on the quality of image from the Logitech  camera. The Apple Face Time option is actually very good but remember you need to connect via Wifi because Apple does not allow 3G connectivity in Australia. Let Dr McColl know if you would prefer to use either of these options.

If you are a first time user of this method of conducting a videoconsultation you need to first of all organise a test videoconference to make sure your system is adequate. Phone Dr McColl's secretary at 0755980133 and book a time with her. Also make sure you have downloaded the latest version of JAVA  See http://www.java.com/en/download/manual.jsp

Conducting a video consultation is really quite a simple process.  There is nothing extra you have to do other than submitting a meeting ID into an area on a website.  Everything else occurs automatically.