How can trans and non-binary people protect their privacy in telehealth?

Privacy is part of safe care

A virtual appointment can reduce travel and widen access, but it also moves sensitive information through devices, apps and the home. A name, voice, face, documents, test results and details about a body or transition may appear in one session. That calls for secure systems and clear communication, not suspicion of the patient.

Trans and non-binary people have different experiences; identity alone says nothing about the care someone uses or wants. This guide supports preparation and does not replace clinical advice. Use appropriate local emergency services for urgent or immediate danger.

Verify the service before opening a link

Use the clinic's official website, app or phone number to confirm the professional, time and call address. Be cautious with unexpected links, password requests, payment outside the agreed channel or pressure to send documents immediately. End the exchange and call a number you already trust if anything is unclear.

Ask which platform will be used, whether the visit is recorded, who can access messages and files, and how to obtain or correct the record. Accepting care should not silently authorise marketing, system training or sharing unrelated to treatment.

Prepare your device, account and connection

Where possible, use an updated personal device protected by a passcode or biometrics and a password-secured home network. Avoid public Wi-Fi and shared computers. Enable two-factor authentication and use a unique password for a portal holding prescriptions, results and messages.

Close social media and notifications before screen sharing. Review the display name, profile image and connected accounts. Headphones reduce overhearing, while a short audio, camera and caption test prevents intimate settings from being fixed after the appointment begins.

Control what surrounds the call

Choose a place where you are less likely to be overheard, while recognising that not everyone has a private room. A neutral or blurred background can hide photographs, mail and home details. Agree on a word or chat message to pause the subject if someone enters.

Ask whether audio, chat or camera-off participation is possible when video is not clinically necessary. Some assessments genuinely require an image; the team should explain why first. The right alternative depends on care, accessibility and safety rather than one rule for every visit.

Separate clinical relevance from invasive curiosity

Write down symptoms, medicines, allergies, tests and questions connected to the reason for the appointment. If a question about body, identity or transition seems unrelated, ask: ‘How will this information change the assessment or treatment?’ Clinical context helps you make an informed choice.

Share your chosen name and pronouns and ask where a legal name is administratively required. Registration, billing and clinical records may have different requirements, but that does not justify humiliation or public use of old information. Do not withhold information needed for clinical safety; ask for the need and access to be explained.

Consent to care does not permit every use of images and data

In Brazil, telehealth principles include free and informed consent, data confidentiality and the right to refuse remote care with in-person care when requested. Medical rules also address authorisation for visits and transmission of images and data. Profession-specific rules and rights differ elsewhere.

Ask separately about recording, screenshots, storage of photographs, sharing with another team and educational use. Permission for one purpose is not automatic permission for every purpose. Before sending a clinical image, confirm the channel, recipient, retention period and whether it can be removed from your device.

Finish with a clear path for follow-up

Confirm instructions, prescriptions, tests, warning signs and the return channel before leaving. Log out on a shared device and remove downloads that do not need to remain. Keep necessary documents in protected storage rather than an open chat or an unreviewed synced gallery.

Request correction through the official channel if the summary contains a wrong name, pronoun or fact, and retain the reference number. After improper disclosure, preserve evidence without reposting it, secure compromised access and contact the clinic or privacy officer. Discrimination is never an unavoidable price of care.

• Verify the professional, platform and link through an official channel.
• Use an updated device, protected connection and two-factor authentication.
• Review display name, notifications, background, audio, camera and accessibility.
• Ask why information is needed and who can access it.
• Authorise recording, images and extra sharing separately.
• Check the record, end the session and protect files afterwards.