Emergency Management During Telehealth: Planning and Procedures for Patient Safety in the Virtual Landscape

The COVID-19 pandemic rapidly expanded telehealth utilization, spurring interest in patient safety and emergency procedures during treatment. The purpose of this report was to present safety procedures within a Veterans Affairs (VA)-affiliated telehealth physical therapy program treating medically complex older adults. Staff completed organizational and clinic specific training for emergency procedures; these procedures were iteratively adapted through safety event debriefings and weekly meetings. Twenty-one individuals participated in the program. Clinicians completed 317 and 122 individual and group sessions, respectively, and reported 17 safety events. Four case examples highlight how safety procedures were adapted to mitigate risk and respond to emergencies.