Although not a new phenomenon, the incidence of patients using increasingly available technology to record consultations is increasing. There is plenty of guidance available on how to manage these events, some of which are linked below for your reference:
- Patients recording consultations (bma.org.uk)
- Digital dilemmas - Patients recording consultations (medicalprotection.org)
- Patients recording consultations - The MDU
In Summary
There is no legal reason why a patient cannot record a consultation with a Healthcare Professional. It is any subsequent action that would or could constitute any offence or claim, for example should they use the data inappropriately or share it with malicious intent. Of course, if this were to occur, BrisDoc would support the individuals involved.
Importantly, the clear recommendation is to not stop any consultation. Instead discuss the circumstances and agree together whether all are comfortable with any arrangement for recording. In a similar way, it is important to remember that we record all of our calls to patients.