Telemedicine is a tool to support veterinarians. It can complement other methods to do a consultation or to make a diagnosis. Telemedicine is not meant to replace veterinarians. Whatever tools are used, veterinarians are always personally and fully responsible for the professional services they provide.
FVE believes that physical consultation and examination plus prescription & dispensing of veterinary medicines to animals are preferable over electronic ways.
To avoid the misuse of telemedicine and reduce the asymmetry of information, veterinarians should be bound by ethical and legal obligations in the use of telemedicine. The nature of the information, the actions, the conclusions or recommendations that may follow are crucial for the animal, the animal owner and the veterinarian.
FVE recognizes that veterinary telemedicine is made by 4 pillars:
- Remote consuling
- Remote diagnosis
- Remote prescribing
- Third-party generated medical data
FVE recommends its members to allow the use of telemedicine in the context of a veterinarian-client-patient relationship (VCPR) by setting up standard operating procedures, codes of conduct and proportionate regulation that respects the mission of veterinarians in promoting animal health, animal welfare, public health and the protection of the environment through the provision of high-quality services