General information to help you prepare for a conversation with your clinician.
When you hold your phone up to talk, the clinician can see your face. When you tilt it toward your knee, you lose sight of the clinician. Try setting the phone on a shelf or table before the appointment. Sit where you can hear the conversation and adjust the angle with both feet on the ground.
Try the view from your chair
Open the camera preview. Can you show which knee you mean without standing up or balancing the phone on your leg? Turn on a light if the joint falls into shadow. Have a look at the appointment link, too. If you need captions, an interpreter or help joining, contact the office ahead of time.
Tell them about a moment they can’t see
Maybe the sticking point is getting up from the driver’s seat. Say what happens then and what you want to know about it. You don’t have to take the call from the car or recreate a painful movement for the camera. Ask the clinician what they’d like to see and tell them if a movement feels unsafe.
If the visit is about an MRI, ask the office in advance whether the clinician has the actual images. A report on your phone is hard to read aloud while you’re also trying to point to your knee.
Leave with the next step in writing
One useful closing question is, “What could you tell from today’s visit, and what would you need to check in person?” Ask where the visit summary will appear and who to contact if you still have a question when you read it.
Sources
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services: Preparing for a telehealth visit