The increased popularity and necessity of virtual medicine solutions has opened up the eyes of patients throughout the world. Collectively, they have come to learn that certain medical appointments do not require a visit to a clinic, and can instead be conducted in a video call setting.
As a result, it is up to healthcare professionals to recognize this and understand that if they don't yet have a virtual medicine solution available to patients, now's the time to get one.
According to findings shared by Kryuus, 75% of patients surveyed said they "expect virtual care to be a standard part of their care moving forward." Perhaps more interestingly, 50% of those surveyed indicated that they would switch doctors in order to regularly have virtual visits.
For Dr. Richard Tytus, Co-Founder and Medical Director of telemedicine solution Banty Inc., those statistics are not surprising. However, he believes that in order to keep patients coming back for online appointments, doctors need to know how to conduct great sessions online. They can do this by:
Choose the right solution: Banty Virtual Clinic is an easy and secure virtual medicine solution designed by doctors and patients, for doctors and their patients. Each doctor gets to create a custom Banty room address (i.e., Banty.com/MyClinic). This link can be used by the patient to access their virtual visit. What's more, Banty Virtual Clinic is HIPAA/PHIPA compliant, and features end-to-end encryption to ensure all doctor-patient interactions remain private
Educating patients in advance: After a clinic selects a virtual medicine solution, it should provide educational resources to patients who agree to partake in online doctor's appointments. This can include a detailed FAQ section on the clinic's official website, in-office brochures/flyers, as well as staff members able to provide excellent insight into how a patient can use the virtual medicine solution available to them
Act natural: The key to a great virtual visit with a patient is to act natural. Yes, being in front of a camera might be different, but a doctor needs to treat this appointment the same way they would an in-person one. By that it means maintaining a familiar bedside manner, delivering information in a clear and concise way, as well as being prepared to answer all incoming questions from a patient. If a patient feels like the virtual experience is similar to that of an in-person one, they'll remain interested in such an appointment option
Have a great setup: For all patient video calls, doctors should have a great computer, tablet, or smartphone capable of handling such appointments. What's more, a peaceful room with great lighting will make it easy for the patient to see and hear their physician
"Simply put, having high quality virtual medicine appointments with patients will help them quickly accept and appreciate such a treatment option," adds Dr. Tytus. "While in-person appointments are still needed from time to time, doctors need to always ensure patients can see them virtually as well."
Thanks to The LaGrange Daily News for this coverage of Banty!
