Teleconsent - A New Modality for Informed Consenting.

Abstract

Obtaining informed consent, the process wherein the research participant or patient formally authorizes the researcher or provider to provide care or to exchange medical information between providers, is necessary for the delivery of care or conducting research. The introduction of health information technologies such as telehealth, the ability to deliver healthcare virtually, has facilitated accessibility levels to healthcare services. We introduce a new modality of telehealth to obtain the consent of patients and providers using information technologies. Teleconsent differs from traditional informed consent by extricating the in-person and pen-to-paper signature, instead having a video interaction between the participant and the provider followed by a photo-based or handwritten e-signature.