1. Purpose and scope

This procedure explains how online consultations are carried out on Consult Your Doctor, the platform operated by Zebrold Private Limited, so that every patient receives safe, respectful and properly recorded care. It applies to every doctor who consults through the platform, to the staff who support them and to the technology used for consultations, in India, in Germany and in any other region in which the platform operates.

Where the law of the country in which the doctor or the patient is located is stricter than this procedure, the stricter rule applies.

2. Roles

3. Verification of each doctor's medical registration

No doctor may take a consultation until the credentialing officer has completed and recorded the following steps, and the medical lead has approved the doctor in writing.

1. Collect a government photo identity document, the medical degree certificate and the current registration certificate, together with the registration number and the authority that issued it.
2. For doctors in India, check the registration number against the Indian Medical Register of the National Medical Commission or the register of the relevant State Medical Council, and record the date and result of the check.
3. For doctors in Germany, check the Approbation and the listing with the competent Landesärztekammer (state medical chamber), and record the date and result.
4. For doctors in any other country, check the register of the competent national or regional authority and obtain a certificate of good standing where it is available.
5. Confirm that the doctor's specialty matches the services that the doctor will offer, and that there is no suspension, restriction or pending disciplinary action.
6. Match the identity of the person who will log in with the identity on the documents, using a live video check at onboarding.
7. Record the doctor's registration number, name and clinic or practice address so that they appear correctly on every prescription.
8. Repeat the register check at least once every twelve months and whenever a registration is due to expire. Suspend access on the day a registration lapses or a restriction is found.

4. Before the consultation

• Identify the patient by name, date of birth and mobile number, and confirm that the person on screen is the patient or the patient's guardian.
• Obtain the patient's consent to teleconsultation, to the processing of health data and to the use of Zebrold AI for checking and follow-up, using the approved consent form.
• Ask for allergies, current medicines, pregnancy, and relevant medical history, and record them before the doctor begins.
• Tell the patient the name and registration number of the doctor, the fee, and what to do if the connection fails.

5. During the consultation

The doctor decides whether the problem is suitable for online care. A doctor may consult by video, audio or text, but should use video wherever a visual examination would help. The doctor records the symptoms, the history, the vital observations that the patient can supply, the assessment and the advice.

The doctor must stop the online consultation and advise in-person care without delay where the patient has an emergency, where a physical examination or test is needed to decide safely, or where the doctor is not satisfied that the problem can be managed online. In an emergency the doctor tells the patient to go to the nearest hospital or call the local emergency number.

6. Prescribing

• Prescribe only within the doctor's competence and the law of the country concerned. In India, the doctor follows the Telemedicine Practice Guidelines in force, including their limits on the kinds of medicines that may be prescribed after a first consultation and their ban on certain categories of medicines.
• Controlled and restricted medicines are prescribed only where local law allows, and never on the strength of a first online consultation unless the law expressly permits it.
• Every prescription is created in the approved format (see CYD-CLN-02), checked by the platform's tools, reviewed by the doctor and then signed and issued by the doctor.

7. Records

The doctor's notes, the prescription, the consent, the identity checks and any messages are stored securely in the patient's record and are kept for the period set in the Data Retention Policy (CYD-DP-04). Records may be corrected only by adding a dated amendment; the original entry is never deleted.

8. Quality and audit

The medical lead reviews a sample of consultations each month for identification, consent, history taking, appropriateness of online care, prescribing and record keeping. Findings are shared with the doctor, and repeated or serious findings lead to retraining or suspension. Patient complaints and incidents (CYD-CLN-03) feed into this review.

9. Technology and privacy

Consultations take place only on the approved platform. Doctors must use a private room, a secure device and a secure network, must not record or photograph the consultation outside the platform, and must follow the Information Security and Access Control Policy (CYD-SEC-01).

10. Special situations

Children and guardians. A consultation for a child is held with a parent or legal guardian present, who gives consent and confirms the child's identity and age. Doses are calculated by the doctor from the child's weight, which the guardian must state, and a prescription for a child is checked against weight-based limits by the platform's tools before the doctor approves it.

Older, frail or vulnerable patients. The doctor allows more time, checks that the patient understands the advice, and, with the patient's agreement, may involve a relative or carer. Where a patient cannot give valid consent, the doctor does not proceed unless a person with legal authority consents.

Language and accessibility. Consultations are held in a language that the patient and doctor both understand well. Where an interpreter is used, the interpreter is told to keep the consultation confidential, and the use of the interpreter is recorded.

Location of doctor and patient. A doctor may treat a patient only in a country where the doctor is entitled to do so. At the start of each consultation the patient states the country in which he or she is located, and the platform blocks consultations that the doctor is not authorised to give there.

Technical failure. If the connection fails, the doctor tries to reconnect and, if that does not work within five minutes, calls the patient by telephone to finish the consultation or to arrange another time. If the patient has an urgent problem, the doctor advises emergency care first.

11. Informed consent and refusal

The doctor explains the nature of the advice, the options, the main risks and benefits and what happens if the patient decides to do nothing. The patient may decline any advice, medicine or test, and may end the consultation at any time. A refusal is recorded and does not affect the patient's right to later care. Consent obtained through the platform's consent form (CYD-DP-03) is confirmed verbally at the beginning of the consultation and is recorded in the notes.

12. Referrals and second opinions

Where the doctor decides that the patient needs tests, a specialist or hospital care, the doctor explains why, gives written instructions and, where possible, refers the patient to a diagnostic centre or hospital that works with the platform. The patient is free to choose another provider. Where the patient asks for a second opinion, the platform helps to arrange it without charge for the arrangement.

13. Training and competence of doctors

Each doctor completes an induction before taking the first consultation. It covers this procedure, the prescription format, the AI Use Policy, privacy and security, emergency recognition and the use of the platform. Doctors repeat the core training every year, and the credentialing officer keeps a record of training. Doctors are also expected to keep their professional knowledge up to date and to meet the continuing education rules of their regulator.

14. Performance measures

15. Recognising and handling emergencies

Before and during each consultation the doctor looks for signs that need urgent in-person care, such as chest pain, severe difficulty in breathing, signs of a stroke, heavy bleeding, loss of consciousness, severe allergic reaction, a high fever in a baby, thoughts of self-harm or any other life-threatening condition. When any of these is present, the doctor stops the routine consultation, tells the patient clearly to go to the nearest hospital or to call the local emergency number, stays on the line while the patient arranges help where that is possible, records what was said and informs the medical lead. The platform shows the emergency number of the country where the patient is.

16. Confidentiality in consultations

The doctor must hold the consultation in a private place and must not allow anyone else to see or hear it, except an interpreter, a carer or a relative to whom the patient has agreed. The doctor asks the patient to confirm that he or she is in a place where they can speak freely. Consultations are not recorded unless the patient agrees, the law allows and the platform's recording policy is followed, in which case the recording is stored as part of the record and is protected in the same way.

17. Patient feedback

After each consultation the patient may rate the experience and make comments. The medical lead reviews feedback every month, shares themes with doctors and follows up any comment that suggests a risk to safety. Feedback is never used to pressure a doctor to prescribe, and it is not used to rank doctors by the number of medicines that they prescribe.

18. Review

This procedure is reviewed once a year, and whenever the law, the platform or an incident makes a change necessary.

1. Purpose and scope

This procedure explains how online consultations are carried out on Consult Your Doctor, the platform operated by Zebrold Private Limited, so that every patient receives safe, respectful and properly recorded care. It applies to every doctor who consults through the platform, to the staff who support them and to the technology used for consultations, in India, in Germany and in any other region in which the platform operates.

Where the law of the country in which the doctor or the patient is located is stricter than this procedure, the stricter rule applies.

2. Roles

3. Verification of each doctor's medical registration

No doctor may take a consultation until the credentialing officer has completed and recorded the following steps, and the medical lead has approved the doctor in writing.

1. Collect a government photo identity document, the medical degree certificate and the current registration certificate, together with the registration number and the authority that issued it.
2. For doctors in India, check the registration number against the Indian Medical Register of the National Medical Commission or the register of the relevant State Medical Council, and record the date and result of the check.
3. For doctors in Germany, check the Approbation and the listing with the competent Landesärztekammer (state medical chamber), and record the date and result.
4. For doctors in any other country, check the register of the competent national or regional authority and obtain a certificate of good standing where it is available.
5. Confirm that the doctor's specialty matches the services that the doctor will offer, and that there is no suspension, restriction or pending disciplinary action.
6. Match the identity of the person who will log in with the identity on the documents, using a live video check at onboarding.
7. Record the doctor's registration number, name and clinic or practice address so that they appear correctly on every prescription.
8. Repeat the register check at least once every twelve months and whenever a registration is due to expire. Suspend access on the day a registration lapses or a restriction is found.

4. Before the consultation

• Identify the patient by name, date of birth and mobile number, and confirm that the person on screen is the patient or the patient's guardian.
• Obtain the patient's consent to teleconsultation, to the processing of health data and to the use of Zebrold AI for checking and follow-up, using the approved consent form.
• Ask for allergies, current medicines, pregnancy, and relevant medical history, and record them before the doctor begins.
• Tell the patient the name and registration number of the doctor, the fee, and what to do if the connection fails.

5. During the consultation

The doctor decides whether the problem is suitable for online care. A doctor may consult by video, audio or text, but should use video wherever a visual examination would help. The doctor records the symptoms, the history, the vital observations that the patient can supply, the assessment and the advice.

The doctor must stop the online consultation and advise in-person care without delay where the patient has an emergency, where a physical examination or test is needed to decide safely, or where the doctor is not satisfied that the problem can be managed online. In an emergency the doctor tells the patient to go to the nearest hospital or call the local emergency number.

6. Prescribing

• Prescribe only within the doctor's competence and the law of the country concerned. In India, the doctor follows the Telemedicine Practice Guidelines in force, including their limits on the kinds of medicines that may be prescribed after a first consultation and their ban on certain categories of medicines.
• Controlled and restricted medicines are prescribed only where local law allows, and never on the strength of a first online consultation unless the law expressly permits it.
• Every prescription is created in the approved format (see CYD-CLN-02), checked by the platform's tools, reviewed by the doctor and then signed and issued by the doctor.

7. Records

The doctor's notes, the prescription, the consent, the identity checks and any messages are stored securely in the patient's record and are kept for the period set in the Data Retention Policy (CYD-DP-04). Records may be corrected only by adding a dated amendment; the original entry is never deleted.

8. Quality and audit

The medical lead reviews a sample of consultations each month for identification, consent, history taking, appropriateness of online care, prescribing and record keeping. Findings are shared with the doctor, and repeated or serious findings lead to retraining or suspension. Patient complaints and incidents (CYD-CLN-03) feed into this review.

9. Technology and privacy

Consultations take place only on the approved platform. Doctors must use a private room, a secure device and a secure network, must not record or photograph the consultation outside the platform, and must follow the Information Security and Access Control Policy (CYD-SEC-01).

10. Special situations

Children and guardians. A consultation for a child is held with a parent or legal guardian present, who gives consent and confirms the child's identity and age. Doses are calculated by the doctor from the child's weight, which the guardian must state, and a prescription for a child is checked against weight-based limits by the platform's tools before the doctor approves it.

Older, frail or vulnerable patients. The doctor allows more time, checks that the patient understands the advice, and, with the patient's agreement, may involve a relative or carer. Where a patient cannot give valid consent, the doctor does not proceed unless a person with legal authority consents.

Language and accessibility. Consultations are held in a language that the patient and doctor both understand well. Where an interpreter is used, the interpreter is told to keep the consultation confidential, and the use of the interpreter is recorded.

Location of doctor and patient. A doctor may treat a patient only in a country where the doctor is entitled to do so. At the start of each consultation the patient states the country in which he or she is located, and the platform blocks consultations that the doctor is not authorised to give there.

Technical failure. If the connection fails, the doctor tries to reconnect and, if that does not work within five minutes, calls the patient by telephone to finish the consultation or to arrange another time. If the patient has an urgent problem, the doctor advises emergency care first.

11. Informed consent and refusal

The doctor explains the nature of the advice, the options, the main risks and benefits and what happens if the patient decides to do nothing. The patient may decline any advice, medicine or test, and may end the consultation at any time. A refusal is recorded and does not affect the patient's right to later care. Consent obtained through the platform's consent form (CYD-DP-03) is confirmed verbally at the beginning of the consultation and is recorded in the notes.

12. Referrals and second opinions

Where the doctor decides that the patient needs tests, a specialist or hospital care, the doctor explains why, gives written instructions and, where possible, refers the patient to a diagnostic centre or hospital that works with the platform. The patient is free to choose another provider. Where the patient asks for a second opinion, the platform helps to arrange it without charge for the arrangement.

13. Training and competence of doctors

Each doctor completes an induction before taking the first consultation. It covers this procedure, the prescription format, the AI Use Policy, privacy and security, emergency recognition and the use of the platform. Doctors repeat the core training every year, and the credentialing officer keeps a record of training. Doctors are also expected to keep their professional knowledge up to date and to meet the continuing education rules of their regulator.

14. Performance measures

15. Recognising and handling emergencies

Before and during each consultation the doctor looks for signs that need urgent in-person care, such as chest pain, severe difficulty in breathing, signs of a stroke, heavy bleeding, loss of consciousness, severe allergic reaction, a high fever in a baby, thoughts of self-harm or any other life-threatening condition. When any of these is present, the doctor stops the routine consultation, tells the patient clearly to go to the nearest hospital or to call the local emergency number, stays on the line while the patient arranges help where that is possible, records what was said and informs the medical lead. The platform shows the emergency number of the country where the patient is.

16. Confidentiality in consultations

The doctor must hold the consultation in a private place and must not allow anyone else to see or hear it, except an interpreter, a carer or a relative to whom the patient has agreed. The doctor asks the patient to confirm that he or she is in a place where they can speak freely. Consultations are not recorded unless the patient agrees, the law allows and the platform's recording policy is followed, in which case the recording is stored as part of the record and is protected in the same way.

17. Patient feedback

After each consultation the patient may rate the experience and make comments. The medical lead reviews feedback every month, shares themes with doctors and follows up any comment that suggests a risk to safety. Feedback is never used to pressure a doctor to prescribe, and it is not used to rank doctors by the number of medicines that they prescribe.

18. Review

This procedure is reviewed once a year, and whenever the law, the platform or an incident makes a change necessary.