As comfortable as a number of physicians have become with using a telemedicine solution at their medical clinics, it's worth understanding that not all patients currently feel comfortable with virtual visit technology.
Even though a recent survey conducted by SingleCare indicated 42% of respondents were "extremely satisfied" with their telehealth experiences, this figure could be higher if more medical professionals took the time to explain how easy and secure telemedicine appointments can be.
Dr. Richard Tytus, Co-Founder and Medical Director of telemedicine solution Banty Inc., believes that in order to get patients onboard with virtual appointments, you need to make them feel unintimidating. Here's how to do that:
Frame video call appointments in a way the patient will understand: At first, some patients may be a little uncertain – or confused – by how a virtual visit with their doctor will work. One way to ease these feelings is by likening such a get together to something the patient could already be familiar with. For instance, a lot of patients have used Skype and/or FaceTime in the past to communicate with loved ones. By explaining that virtual medical appointments use a similar form of technology, patients will begin to form a better understanding
Allow loved ones to join the appointment: In the event such technology remains a hurdle for some patients, encourage them to invite a friend or family member to join the appointment. This will not only help ensure the virtual visit begins when it is supposed to, this individual can also provide additional support to the patient as it relates to using the meeting room features
Provide education in advance: Before a patient participates in their first online doctor's appointment, provide them with as many educational resources as possible. If your medical clinic has a brochure outlining how your telemedicine services work, see that it is handed out. The other option is to make this information available on your clinic's website or social media channels. By having such instructions within reach, patients will feel infinitely better about their forthcoming virtual appointment
Choose Banty Virtual Clinic: Banty is an easy and secure telemedicine solution designed for everyone. End-to-end encryption technology is used to make sure all appointments remain private. Meanwhile, your clinic's unique Banty room address (i.e., Banty.com/MyClinic) is the only link patients will need to enter their appointment. They will no longer have to rely on auto generated links and complicated passwords
"While many patients love the idea of not travelling to a doctor's appointment, some stick to in-person appointments because they're intimidated by the technology," adds Dr. Tytus. "However, if your clinic can put a strategy in place to settle any fears some patients might have, your virtual medicine appointment calendar will only grow."
Thanks Yahoo! Finance for this coverage of Banty!
