How to Prepare for Your Telehealth Appointment: A Checklist

Good preparation for a telehealth appointment takes about five minutes. Have your Medicare card, a current list of your medications (including the dose), a short note of your symptoms and when they started, and any relevant measurements (temperature, blood pressure readings, photos). Check your camera, microphone, and internet connection before the appointment starts. Find a quiet, private, well-lit space. Be signed in and ready two or three minutes before your scheduled time. If you run late, most appointments can still proceed — but start in the online waiting room as soon as you can.

Why five minutes of preparation changes the consult

A telehealth consult is shorter than the walk from the waiting room to a physical consulting room, but the clinical work is the same. The clinician still needs to understand what has changed, what you are taking, how long symptoms have been present, and whether anything new has happened. The difference is that, on video, they cannot pick up your paper record off the desk or glance at the medication box on your kitchen bench. They rely on what you bring into the call.

At Abby, Abby AI, our medical AI, does part of that preparation for you. Before every appointment, it surfaces your history, medications, allergies, and any relevant follow-ups so the clinician begins the consult already informed. It is a decision-support tool — it never diagnoses or prescribes — and it is explained in full at what Abby AI is: decision support explained. Your five minutes of preparation fills in the live, in-the-moment detail Abby AI cannot already know: how you are feeling today, and what has changed since last time.

What to have ready: the essentials

These are the items a clinician will almost always ask about in a general consult. Having them to hand means you spend the appointment discussing your care rather than hunting through drawers.

• Your Medicare card. The 10-digit card number and your individual reference number (the small number next to your name). This is needed for bulk billing. Abby appointments are bulk billed for eligible patients with a valid Medicare card — the full eligibility detail is at is Abby bulk billed?
• A current medication list. Include the name, dose, and how often you take it. If you are unsure, the dispensing label on the packet is usually enough. Also note anything you buy over the counter, including supplements.
• Known allergies. Medication allergies, food allergies, and what the reaction was. "Penicillin — rash" is more useful than "penicillin."
• A short symptom note. When it started, what it feels like, what makes it better or worse, whether you have had it before. Three or four sentences is plenty.
• Any measurements. A recent temperature, blood pressure reading, weight, or blood sugar if relevant. For skin or wound concerns, two or three clear photos taken in good light.
• Your pharmacy details. Name and suburb. If a prescription is issued, this is where it will be sent electronically.
• Your questions. Write them down. People almost always forget one.

The tech check: five minutes before the call

Most telehealth problems are not medical problems — they are audio and video problems. They are also, almost entirely, preventable with a quick check before the appointment begins.

The simplest test is to open the camera app on your phone or the FaceTime/Photo Booth app on your computer and record yourself talking for ten seconds. Can you see your face clearly, with no heavy backlight from a window behind you? Can you hear yourself, with your normal voice? If yes, your appointment will almost certainly work.

A few specifics worth checking:

• Camera. Front-facing camera, clean lens, pointed at eye level. If you are using a phone, prop it up so you are not holding it — your arm will tire before the consult ends.
• Microphone. Built-in is usually fine. If you use headphones, check the microphone works (voice notes are a quick test). Avoid Bluetooth headphones that have been sitting uncharged — they are the single biggest cause of calls dropping.
• Internet. Wi-Fi if you can, mobile data as a backup. If your internet is unreliable, sit closer to the router. If you are on mobile data, make sure your plan is not at its cap for the month.
• Device battery. At least 30% charge, or plugged in. Video calls drain batteries faster than most other use.
• Browser or app up to date. An out-of-date browser is the second biggest cause of dropped calls.
• Permissions. Your browser or the Abby app needs permission to use the camera and microphone. If prompted, allow it. If you have previously blocked it, you will need to re-enable it in settings.

The space: quiet, private, well-lit

A telehealth consult is a medical appointment. It should be treated like one — not like a casual video call. A few small choices make a large difference to the clinician's ability to assess you and to your own comfort in speaking honestly.

Quiet. Close the door. Mute any other devices. If you live with others, let them know you will be unavailable for the next 15 to 20 minutes. Background noise makes it harder for the clinician to hear you, and harder for you to concentrate on what they are saying.

Private. You should be able to speak freely — including about things you might not want other people in your home to hear. If a private room is not possible, a parked car, a quiet corner of a park, or a small meeting room at work can all work. Do not take a telehealth appointment in a shared workspace, on a bus, or anywhere the clinician cannot reasonably assess you.

Well-lit. Light on your face, not behind you. A window in front of you is better than a window behind you. If the clinician needs to look at a rash, a wound, or anything visible, they need to actually see it.

Have water nearby, and a pen and paper in case you want to take notes. If you have a thermometer or blood pressure cuff, bring it into the room — not because you always need it, but because it is faster to use than to fetch.

What NOT to do

A short list of common mistakes that make telehealth appointments harder than they need to be.

Don't drive. Never take a telehealth appointment while driving — not even hands-free, not even parked with the engine running. If you need to take the call in a car, pull over, turn the engine off, and stay stationary for the duration.

Don't take it in public. Cafés, trains, supermarkets. You cannot speak honestly, and the clinician cannot assess you properly. If the only option is a public place, reschedule.

Don't multi-task. Telehealth is still a medical consultation. It deserves 15 minutes of your full attention, the same as any appointment. Close other tabs. Put your other devices away.

Don't rely on a friend or family member to speak for you unless you have to. The clinician needs to hear from you directly where possible. If you do need a support person — for language, for support with complex information, or because you are unwell — that is fine and welcomed. Tell the clinician at the start of the call who is there and why.

Don't assume telehealth is the right fit for every concern. Some things genuinely need an in-person examination — significant chest pain, heavy bleeding, severe injury, acute mental-health crisis. An honest summary of what telehealth can and can't safely cover is at what telehealth can't do: safety limits, and a guide to choosing between telehealth and in-person care is at when telehealth is right for you. If you are in crisis, please go straight to if you're in crisis: immediate support or call 000.

What happens if you are running late

It happens. Traffic, a phone call that overran, a toddler who refused to put their shoes on. Most telehealth consults can still proceed if you are a few minutes late — but the earlier you can log into the waiting room, the better.

If you are more than 5 to 10 minutes late, the clinician may need to see the next patient first and return to you afterwards. At busier times, and particularly in the First Available queue, you may lose the slot entirely. Our no-show rate sits at approximately 8% (Abby Health internal data, Q1 2026), and that capacity is redirected to other patients so consults are not wasted.

If you know you are going to be late, open the app and move your appointment rather than losing it. If you cannot attend at all, cancelling as early as possible frees the slot for someone else — often someone in the First Available queue who has been waiting. Scheduled appointments and the First Available queue work slightly differently, and both are explained further in how Abby remembers you: continuity of care.

Before you hang up: five things worth confirming

At the end of the consult, before the call ends, take 30 seconds to confirm the practical next steps. This is the single most common point at which patients leave an appointment feeling unclear, and it is entirely fixable.

• What is the plan? In one sentence, what are we doing about this?
• Is anything being prescribed? If yes, where is it being sent, and when can you collect it? For how online prescriptions work in Australia, see how to get a prescription online in Australia.
• Is anything being ordered? Pathology, imaging, referrals. Where are they sent, and what happens next?
• When should you follow up? A date, a symptom that should prompt you to come back sooner, or a specific milestone.
• Who reviews the results? Results are reviewed by a clinician in the Abby network — often the same clinician, thanks to the 71% rebook rate (Abby Health internal data, Q1 2026). For how continuity works at Abby, see how Abby remembers you: continuity of care.

A short written summary is also available in your Abby account after every consult. You do not need to remember everything in the moment.

A note on who you are seeing

The Abby care network includes Specialist GPs and Nurse Practitioners working within the same clinical framework. All Abby Health practitioners hold current AHPRA registration. If you would like more context on who is providing your care, see who are Abby's practitioners, what makes a Specialist GP in Australia, and what a Nurse Practitioner is in Australia. Clinical standards, guidelines, and safe practice across Australian general practice are maintained by the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners.

Frequently asked questions

How long before my appointment should I be ready?

Two to three minutes before your scheduled time. Log in, allow camera and microphone permissions, and wait in the online waiting room. The clinician will join when they are ready. This is the telehealth equivalent of sitting down in the waiting area after reception has checked you in.

What happens if my video or audio fails mid-consult?

First, try refreshing the page or closing and reopening the app. If video will not work, most Abby appointments can continue by phone — the clinician will call the number on your account. A brief connection drop is not the end of the consult; stay in the waiting room and the clinician will re-join.

Do I need to have my Medicare card physically with me?

No. The card details saved in your Abby account are used for billing. Having the card itself to hand is only useful if you need to re-enter details or confirm a number. Abby appointments are bulk billed for eligible patients with a valid Medicare card.

Can someone sit in the appointment with me?

Yes. A partner, parent, carer, or support person is welcome. Tell the clinician at the start of the call who is present and why. For appointments with children and teenagers, guardian rules apply — see the Care For You hub for details on family accounts.

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