The advancement of technology has allowed everyone the ability to streamline almost every aspect of your lives, including things like going to the doctor. Implementing video conferencing paved the road for another way of connecting doctors with their patients without having to leave their homes.
Virtual doctor consultations impact people’s health in a positive way. Some people may not go to the doctor regularly because they cannot take the time off of work to physically commute to a doctor’s office. Maybe they have experienced trouble when trying to book an appointment because of the long wait times. Either way, an online doctor has many benefits that could alleviate some of these issues. Here are some pivotal benefits of an online doctor that may or may not surprise you from our guest author.
Some Crucial Benefits of an Online Doctor
Convenience
How convenient is it that you do not have to leave your house to visit your doctor. This is great for patients who suffer from PTSD, patients with infants, patients who are in jail and even patients that simply do not want to leave the comfort of their home. You may be wondering how you can visit your doctor safely and privately. Well, there is a myriad of technologies that allow you to consult and talk to your doctor, of any kind, safely and securely. There are services like Vidyo and VSee that are super simple to download and are HIPAA compliant. Using technologies like those ensure your health records are kept confidential from hackers and cybercriminals.
Make An Appointment Only When Needed
One of the many benefits of having an online doctor is the ability to have online consultations in which you talk directly to your doctor about your health problems and issues. Only after the consultation will you know whether or not you should make a follow-up appointment or simply follow precautions and take medication to feel better. This streamlines the process of getting to the bottom of the health issue. If your doctor suspects your problems may come from underlying conditions, they can request a face-to-face visit.
Virtual Waiting Rooms Are Better
Waiting in the doctor’s waiting room can be a miserable experience. For one, waiting for anything can test the most easy-going patient. You are typically waiting around another sick patient, which can be detrimental to your health and the health of those around you. It can also be incredibly boring with all the old, outdated magazines and health brochures. On the off chance, there is a TV, but it plays daytime television or a constant stream of advertisements for products or services they offer.
In a virtual waiting room, you do not have to deal with those factors. You can wait in the comfort of your own home and be comfortable. You can watch whatever you want on your TV. Some online doctors have specially created online content and material that are specifically designed to entertain and educate.
Important Documents Are In One Place
When you visit your doctor online, all your important documents like your medical history and reports are saved digitally. This makes it super easy for you and your doctor to visit them later online. Having your medical records readily available from anywhere is very beneficial because you can access them anywhere at any time you may need them.
Better Doctor-Patient Engagement
A lot of video conferencing services online doctors use allow screen sharing. This improves doctor and patient engagement greatly. When a doctor is going through your test results or readouts, they can share the screen allowing you to follow the doctor in realtime. Doing this can help doctors better explain procedures and conditions so that you are better informed about your own healthcare and how to maintain it.
Some services even allow for your doctor to connect to other devices making it easier for them to listen to your heartbeat, take your blood pressure and examine inside your ear with a connected otoscope. This ensures you are getting the same care virtually as you would if you physically came in to see your doctor face-to-face.
Access To Your Doctor From Anywhere
Being able to talk to your doctor from anywhere is crucial, especially if you are living in a rural or remote area in which you have to travel a long distance to get to your doctor. Visiting your doctor online can be possible if you are unable to travel that long distance, for whatever reason. All you have to do is contact your doctor via the online healthcare service they may use and discuss your symptoms. From there, your doctor can determine if what you are experiencing is something serious enough that may require you to physically come into the doctor’s office, or they may discover what you are experiencing is something minor, ruling that it would be a waste of time to physically come into the office. In which case they can offer some precautions and medicines that may help to alleviate your symptoms.
Improvement Of Personal Touch
You may think since your doctor visit has moved from in-person to online, you will miss the personal touch and bedside manner that typically accompanies the experience of going to visit a doctor. This is quite the contrary. Some patients feel that camera interaction makes for greater connection. With high-quality video feeds and little lagging help to improve online interaction. Since doctors have the ability to talk to their patients online, a lot of patients feel like they are being heard.
You Can Save More Money
Think of all the costs associated with seeing a doctor face-to-face. There are fuel costs, parking costs in some regions of the country and consultation fees. Seeing an online doctor can be way more cost-effective. You no longer have to spend money traveling or pay those consultation fees since you can access your doctor from anywhere you have data or a good internet connection.
These are only a few benefits of having an online doctor. Access to healthcare from anywhere is lifesaving.