Covid-19 has affected everything and everyone, be it large-scale industries or school-going children. Although social distancing became necessary, people still needed medical assistance. Hence, telemedicine and online doctors came into the landscape. As the name specifies, telemedicine allows you to get virtual consultations without physically visiting the doctors.
Telemedicine helped save countless lives, as people could easily reach out to experts without exposure. Although online medicinal help appeared recently, it has revolutionized the healthcare industry. Therefore, even after the end of the pandemic, many hospitals and clinics plan to continue providing telemedicinal services.
How Did Telemedicine and Online Doctor Consultations Help During Covid-19?
Telemedicine made an undeniable contribution to helping healthcare organizations deliver their services. It was an effective and reliable solution not only for Covid-19 but also for other illnesses. Telehealth has served the following benefits during the pandemic.
1. Efficient Communication
Digital channels have bridged the gaps between patients and healthcare experts as they can quickly provide services to quarantined patients. Telemedicinal services have gained a spot on the stage in America and many European regions. However, the idea of an online doctor remains entirely new in African and developing Asian countries. According to the HHS (Department of Health and Human Services), USA, there was only 1 percent of virtual visits in 2019, while the percentage increased to 38.1 in 2020 [1]. Telehealth allows people to receive timely tele-consultancies without risking exposure to the virus. Moreover, it helps keep potentially infected people isolated without depriving them of medical consultancy.
2. Reducing Risk to Healthcare Providers
Another underrated advantage of telemedicine is that it allows healthcare providers to perform their duties safely. Naturally, medical experts aren’t immune to the virus. Once infected, the providers have to be quarantined, making them unavailable for the medical sector when it needs them the most.
3. Accessible
Due to the unprecedented virus breach, healthcare providers also started offering international telehealth and online doctor consultancies. This initiative helped the patients and allowed countries to come to aid as they began to take measures to ensure their experts were accessible globally. Telehealth allowed rural areas to keep up with the pace as people could interact with doctors and other experts regarding Covid and other illnesses.
4. Helpful For Chronic Patients
The Covid pathogens are fatal for people suffering from chronic diseases. Therefore, it is essential to conduct a thorough examination to ensure they don’t catch the infection. Telemedicine and online doctors are irreplaceable in delivering healthcare services to such patients. Studies reveal that 85.3% of people [2] with chronic diseases were willing to proceed with their treatments virtually during the pandemic. Also, elderly people can make appointments with an online doctor to monitor their progress and symptoms.
Challenges To Online Doctors During the Pandemic
Although, telemedicine and online doctors proved of immense help during the pandemic. But there are still several challenges the telehealth industry faced during this time. Let’s have a look at a few.
1. Technical Knowledge
One of the main challenges telemedicine faces is the required technical knowledge. The digital sessions are only operable via the internet and devices. During the quarantine, it was difficult for doctors and patients to match their pace with the situation’s urgency.
Compared to young healthcare providers, older and experienced doctors found it reasonably hard to operate the platforms to connect to the organization and patients.
2. Integration
The second most prominent challenge healthcare organizations face is the compatibility of their patient records with digital platforms. Most hospitals have incompatible EHRs (Electronic Health Records) and telemedicine platforms, complicating the overall workflow.
3. Difficulties In Care Continuity
The advent of the pandemic dragged countless health providers into the digital space. Where this initiative reduced the havoc of the pandemic, a hidden problem began boiling. Several cases were observed when patients migrated from one doctor to another online doctor. Organizations must undergo a complex procedure to transfer the patient’s history to the next provider.
4. Awareness of the Services
After successfully implementing your telehealth services, spreading the word about them is the next complex task. If the patients are unaware of the initiative, they will not use your services and migrate to other providers who reached them first. Therefore, healthcare organizations must ensure the updation of their social media profiles in real-time.
5. Privacy Concerns
Telemedicine services are convenient and easy to use. However, since the patient’s data is accessible through online channels, organizations must put in additional securities to prevent breaches.
6. Setup Expenses
Telemedicine services became the need of the hour as Covid-19 went out of control. Although it provided a lot of convenience to the users, implementing the process has been challenging for many health organizations.
Many healthcare providers had to close down as they could not take on a sudden expense and all the complexities that came with it. The situation worsened in healthcare centers located in rural areas as there was no budget or awareness.
Patients Who Are at High Risk During Covid-19
The pandemic has affected every single person on the planet. However, according to the surveys, patients with the following conditions are encountered mainly by online doctors.
1. Children And Adults
The pandemic poses a significant concern to parents, and coping with children is hard because they are accounted to outdoor activities. Despite the lockdown, younger children are vulnerable to colds and seasonal infections. Telemedicine helps parents get a timely diagnosis to prevent further inconveniences. Adults can also benefit from these virtual services as they can follow their treatments and appointments unhindered.
2. Hyper Tension Patients
The covid-19 virus affects the respiratory system of the body. Thus, the heart works more rigorously to pump the blood as the lungs’ working is compromised. Such conditions worsen the patient’s health conditions suffering from high blood pressure. Therefore, most experts direct their patients to a hypertension online doctor after the preliminary phase.
3. Obesity Patients
Patients with issues like obesity develop a higher intensity of the virus as obesity itself results in various diseases like BP, sugar, and heart conditions. Higher BMIs also lead to an increase in covid patients.
4. Asthma Patients
The Covid-19 virus primarily targets the respiratory system. Therefore, people with conditions like asthma, BP, kidney issues, and cancer should take more precautionary steps to prevent infection [3].
The Bottom Line
Covid-19 is an issue in the entire world. Since the spread rate of the virus is so unpredictable, health organizations must put in additional efforts to treat their patients. Thus, telemedicine and online doctors are taking over.
Virtual health solutions have saved countless lives during the pandemic. It helps patients and healthcare providers stay safe during prevailing distress. However, it takes work to make last-minute implementations for teleservices. Therefore, many organizations had to shut down. Moreover, the use of telehealth requires a technical understanding and equipment available on both patient and provider sides.
FAQs
1. Why has there been an increase in online doctor consultations during the COVID-19 pandemic?
The COVID-19 pandemic has led to an increase in online doctor consultations for several reasons. First, many people are hesitant to visit doctors’ offices or hospitals due to fear of contracting the virus. Second, social distancing measures have made it difficult for patients to see doctors in person. Third, many healthcare providers have adopted telemedicine services to continue providing care while limiting the spread of the virus.
2. What are the benefits of online doctor consultations?
Some benefits of online doctor consultations include convenience, accessibility, and reduced risk of infection. Patients can see a doctor from anywhere and don’t have to take time off work or travel to a clinic. Additionally, online consultations can be more efficient, as patients can receive a diagnosis and treatment plan without waiting for an in-person appointment.
3. What are the limitations of online doctor consultations?
Online doctor consultations have a few limitations, such as the need for physical examination and the difficulty of diagnostic tests. Also, Some medical conditions require in-person examination and treatment and cannot be fully addressed through online consultations. Additionally, all insurance plans may not cover online consultations, and patients may have to pay out of pocket.
References:
[1] https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2788367
[2] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8998658/
[3] https://www.gigadocs.com/blog/the-shift-to-virtual-care-and-digital-doctors-in-response-to-covid-19/