Throughout the COVID-19 global pandemic and its accompanying social distancing measures, physicians throughout the world had to adjust the way in which they met with many of their patients.
For a substantial chunk of time, patients (experiencing non-emergency issues) would be unable to see a physician at their clinic and would instead rely on remote appointment options. One option that proved itself to be truly worthwhile and helpful was an online doctor’s appointment.
These video calls would take place using a computer, phone, or tablet, allowing the physician to still be able to see their patient, even if they couldn’t be in the same room together.
While the pandemic is not yet behind us, clinics are opening up and patients are able to visit their physician again. However, some are still choosing to remain with the online doctor visits they grew accustomed to attending throughout the worst of the pandemic.
Why, you ask?
Well, having to participate in video conferences showed patients just how helpful and convenient a live video chat online with their doctor could be.
With that in mind, let’s take a look at three ways in which telehealth services can assist patients:
Prevents a Condition from Needlessly Worsening
Sometimes, those in the medical field can quickly forget about the strain traveling to a clinic can have on a patient’s health.
For instance, if an elderly patient has a history of knee or hip ailments, a lot of stress can be put on to their body by having to attend a minor medical appointment that could have been conducted online.
Then you have individuals who have varying degrees of cold and flu symptoms. More often than not, rest plays a big role in quickly recovering from such ailments. However, if these folks are forced from their bed in order to make an appointment, their recovery time could be negatively impacted in a big way.
Travel Stress is Diminished Mightily
Sometimes it can be a lot of work to get to and from a medical appointment. Patients have to contend with traffic, arrange a ride with a loved one, or rely on public transit to get them where they need to be.
While these methods can be okay every now and then, frequently the process of each will stress out a patient before their in-clinic appointment even begins. Unfortunately, this instantly sets an appointment off on the wrong foot from both an emotional and physical standpoint.
If, instead, patients are regularly offered telehealth services for minor issues, they can – without stress – use their device of choice (i.e., computer, smartphone, or tablet) and log on for an appointment from the comfort of their own home.
Not only is this a more relaxing approach, but it is also far more convenient for patients who hate the process of spending more time trekking to an appointment, than participating in one.
No More Wasted Minutes in a Waiting Room
Let’s be honest about something here: patients do not enjoy sitting in a crowded waiting room with strangers who are suffering from various medical conditions.
Yes, the fear of germs spreading within a waiting room has always been something that’s freaked out certain patients. But now – thanks to COVID-19 – more and more people are trying even harder to avoid the potential of catching a virus as a result of sitting in a waiting room.
If a clinic has a reliable online medicine solution in-house, you can bet a sizable number of patients will prefer a virtual waiting room to that of the crowded germy ones featured within brick-and-mortar doctor’s offices.
