This guide will show how to use the HotDoc Sidebar to complete a Telehealth On Demand consult.
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In this article |
The Practitioner Experience
Video user guide
One page quick-use PDF (printable)
| You can download or print this PDF using the icons below, or by opening the link at the bottom of this article. |
Accessing the Practitioner Sidebar
Open Installed HotDoc Sidebar and login
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Open the Sidebar on your computer so that you can view and action Telehealth On Demand appointments. Locate the HotDoc Sidebar icon on the desktop of the computer and click to open.
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Enter your registered email and password to log in to see the Telehealth On Demand appointments.
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If HotDoc is missing from your computer, please refer to: How to install the HotDoc Sidebar on Practitioners' workstations |
Open HotDoc Web Sidebar and login
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The HotDoc Web Sidebar is an alternative to the installed Sidebar. If your installed Sidebar is operating within a remote environment, you may prefer to use the Web Sidebar. Please see: How can I access the Web Sidebar? |
Starting a Telehealth On Demand Appointment
Viewing the appointment
| When you receive a Telehealth On Demand appointment, it is added directly into your appointment book. You will also be able to see it in the Sidebar Calendar. |
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Click on the request in the Sidebar Calendar to open it:
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View the patient's details, including the pre-appointment notes they entered while making their booking:
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View the Patient Notes section, including the patient's current medications, allergies and medical history.
You can also see whether the patient has opted to receive a copy of these notes after the consult, and/or share them with their regular GP:
Starting the Consult
| It is recommended that you try connecting to your first call a little bit earlier when using the Dialler for the first time, to ensure your connection is stable and that your audio and microphone are working as expected. |
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To learn what it looks like on the patient's side, please see: |
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Select Begin Telehealth Consultation
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Select your audio input and output:
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Select Begin telehealth consult
- The patient's preferred phone number will automatically be dialled, and the call will be connected
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The patient's phone is ringing |
The patient has joined the call |
During the Consult
During the consult, you can type notes directly into the Patient Notes section:
You can save these notes as a draft at any time:
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To learn how we ensure that all patient notes are kept secure and private, please see: How HotDoc protects patient notes |
If there are any connection issues on your end during the call, this will be flagged so you can move somewhere with a stronger connection:
Ending the Consult
| To help ensure a high-quality service, we expect a minimum consultation length of two minutes. If the consult is less than two minutes, HotDoc will assume the consult was not complete and will not process the payment automatically. |
Once the consult is complete, select End consult and then confirm by selecting Yes, end the consult:
After the Consult
After the consult has ended, finalise the notes and select Save & Send:
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Troubleshooting
To ensure consultations run smoothly, the Dialler includes a built-in Readiness Checker. This tool automatically guides you through a quick check of your microphone, speakers, and network connection before the consultation begins, helping to prevent any technical issues that could interrupt the patient experience.
| We recommend running the Dialler Readiness Checker before your first call of the day. You can also run it if you are ever experiencing technical issues during a consultation. |
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From the HotDoc Sidebar, select Menu and then Dialler Readiness Checker:
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The Readiness Checker will then guide you through a series of tests to ensure that you can run the consultation or assess what issues you are having.
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Select Continue to allow the Readiness Checker to access your devices to perform the tests.
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Select the speaker you’d like to use for your consultation audio.
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The Readiness Checker will then play a sample sound on the preferred speaker you have selected in the previous step.
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The Readiness Checker will then go through a similar test with the microphone that you would like to use for your consultation. First, select the microphone in the drop down.
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You will then record a sample of your voice through the microphone.
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The Readiness Checker will then play this sound back to you to ensure it was recorded correctly.
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Finally, the Readiness Checker will run a test to ensure that your network connection is stable enough to run a consultation.
| If the network check has been successful, you will see green ticks next to each item. | If any issues were detected, they will be flagged. |
The Readiness Checker will conclude with the results of the tests and show you any further troubleshooting steps you may need to follow to connect your speaker or microphone or improve your network connection.
| If all areas have been successful, the Readiness Checker will show that your setup is ready for a consultation. | If any errors or issues have been identified, the Readiness Checker will display the next steps to follow in the drop-down on the screen. |
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For further information about specific errors that may be shown, please see: |
FAQs
I would prefer to call patients from my phone. How can I still use my mobile?
The easiest way is to log on locally through your web browser. Go to your web browser on your phone (not in the remote desktop application) and type: https://www.hotdoc.com.au/ember-sidebar#/login
We recommend saving that URL to your favourites on your mobile phone home screen. This will enable you to effectively use the Sidebar like an app so that you can quickly call patients from your mobile phone while keeping your number private.
From there, you can log in as normal using your HotDoc practitioner account credentials. You will still need to enter patient notes into the Sidebar so we recommend using headphones with a microphone so you can keep your hands free to type.
What if I have connection issues during the call?
The Dialler will automatically try to reconnect. Please ensure that you have a stable internet connection.
What if I can't connect with the patient?
If you cannot connect with the patient on the first attempt, please attempt to call them again. Practitioners are required to make at least two (2) contact attempts.