Preparing for Your Digital Consultation
A practical before, during and after guide: prepare your questions, make room for a private conversation and leave knowing the agreed next steps.
You do not need a perfect account of everything before an appointment. A few relevant notes and a working connection can help you explain what matters. Use this guide alongside the instructions from the service providing your consultation. It offers general preparation information, not an assessment of your health or a promise of a particular treatment.
Before: decide what you want to discuss
Write a short account of your main concern: when it began, what has changed and how it affects daily life. Put the questions that matter most at the top. Keep a current list of medicines and doses, including non-prescription products, and any known allergies nearby. You can say when you are unsure of a detail; you do not need to guess.
Gather the requested documents and appointment details
Have the records the clinician has asked for within reach, such as a previous consultation letter, relevant result or current prescription. Check how to provide them through the service’s intended channel. A document on your phone is not necessarily available to the clinician; confirm what has been received.
Check the date, time, time zone, joining instructions and any agreed fee. Use your existing AfriMed™ account if you have one; recovery is preferable to creating a duplicate. Keep appointment contact details somewhere you can reach even if the video page stops working. Do not put medical documents into the website’s general enquiry or newsletter form.
Sources: Haute Autorité de santé — Consulter et se faire soigner à distance (PDF, français)
Check the device and connection
Charge your device and test the internet connection, camera, microphone and sound before the appointment. Use the supplied joining instructions and allow the permissions needed for the call. Place the device steadily, with light on your face. Close unnecessary applications and leave a little time to join without rushing. If power or data may run out, discuss a practical backup with the service beforehand.
Sources: HHS — Equipment for telehealth
Make space for privacy
Choose somewhere you can speak privately and consider who can see your screen. Ask the service how it protects your information and who will have access to it. Tell the clinician who is present with you, and agree what a helper may hear or receive. Discuss any concerns about recording or sharing before the consultation begins.
Sources: HPCSA — Good practice in telehealth, Booklet 10 (South Africa)
Ask for the support you need
Contact the service in advance about language, hearing, vision, speech or other accessibility needs. Ask what arrangements are available, such as an interpreter, captions or extra time; do not assume they are included. If you would like a trusted person to help, agree their role and tell the clinician who is present. You can also ask for part of the conversation to be private.
Sources: HHS — Telehealth and communication disabilities (PDF)
During: make the conversation work for you
Start with your main concern and tell the clinician if you cannot hear or see clearly. Ask them to explain unfamiliar words and discuss the choices available, including why another examination or appointment may be needed. Tell them if cost, travel or other circumstances make a proposed step difficult.
Take brief notes if useful. Before finishing, explain the plan back in your own words so that misunderstandings can be corrected. Ask about anything left unclear. If you want to record the conversation, discuss this first with the clinician and anyone else taking part.
Sources: HPCSA — Good practice in telehealth, Booklet 10 (South Africa) · Cambridge University Hospitals — Before, during and after your appointment
If the connection fails
Check the connection and follow the service’s reconnection instructions. If the call still will not work, use the appointment contact details to agree what happens next. A phone call or a new appointment may be appropriate, but it is for the service to confirm the arrangement. Do not assume someone will automatically call back or that the consultation has been completed. Creating another account or duplicate booking is not a way to restore a failed call.
Sources: HHS — Troubleshooting telehealth
After: keep the agreed next steps clear
Keep the instructions or summary where you can find them. If they do not match what you understood, contact the care team through the agreed route. If a result, document or follow-up is expected, clarify when it should arrive and whom to contact if it does not. A silent inbox should not be interpreted as a reviewed result.
Before you close your notes, check that you can answer these questions:
- What has been agreed, and what still needs a decision?
- What do I need to arrange, and by when?
- Who will review any requested tests or further information?
- How do I contact the care team if I have questions or my situation changes?
Sources: HHS — After a telehealth visit
When a different kind of appointment is needed
A clinician may decide that a physical examination, tests or another service is necessary. An online appointment does not guarantee a prescription or a treatment outcome. Tell the service if remote communication is not suitable for you, and discuss an alternative. Follow the individual advice you receive about when and where to seek further help.
Sources: HPCSA — Good practice in telehealth, Booklet 10 (South Africa)
Preparation guidance checked on 16 October 2026. South African HPCSA guidance informs the privacy, communication and suitability sections. International patient guides supplement practical preparation, equipment, accessibility and follow-up details. Their national rules do not establish rights elsewhere or AfriMed™ coverage, fees or support arrangements. Follow your service’s instructions.
