Doctors working in telehealth clinics would be required to explicitly identify who is accountable for ongoing patient care when a consultation ends and share information with patients’ regular clinicians.

The demand forms part of new draft standards for virtual care which aim to clean up a telehealth sector which has been dogged by accusations of poor or non-existent clinical handover, with prescribing fuelled by commercial interests rather than those of the patient.

Released for consultation by the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care, they cover any form of virtual care, including care provided in standard GP practices or hospitals.

But the standards will apply to telehealth cannabis and weight loss clinics as well as the virtual clinics, where telehealth doctors sign off on online prescription requests.