With overwhelmed hospitals and medical staff handling COVID patients and strictly imposed social distancing rules, in-person doctor visits have been on hold for much of the year. However, non-COVID patients still need to consult their doctors for their ailments. This is where telemedicine comes in.
Though not a new concept, telemedicine has been around for quite a while. The ongoing pandemic has seen a massive surge in telemedicine usage where you can remotely connect with a healthcare professional through video, phone call, email, or apps and get consultations. Bypassing the hassle of driving to health facilities, long hours in the waiting rooms have also contributed to telemedicine’s popularity. We are going to give you a walkthrough to prepare yourself well before such a visit.
1. Ensure You Are Tech-Ready
A decent smartphone, tablet, or PC will be your medium of contact during the appointment. Thus it is essential to ensure that you have a reliable communication method with your healthcare provider.
2. Strong Internet Connection is Vital
The appointment heavily relies on clear communication between you and your doctor, and a good internet connection ensures that. You need to be able to convey your symptoms and listen to the doctor’s instructions. A poor connection will hamper that and cause interruptions and call drops making the appointment longer than necessary.
It is best to use an ethernet connection and remember to ask your provider how to reach them if the connection drops during the appointment.
3. Make an Appointment
To make an appointment, call the office or visit the hospital/private practice website. Alternatively, you may need to make an appointment through an app on your device or send you an email with the link to meet your doctor, which you will click on ten minutes before the meeting.
Remember that you may need to virtually sign the consent form for the HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) or be asked verbally by your healthcare provider.
If you lack an established provider or are looking for more options, cross-border telemedicine may be worth looking into. Working across multiple countries and affiliated with numerous hospitals and doctors across all faculties, you can easily access and take consultations from renowned clinicians at your ease.
4. Use an External Webcam
In-built cameras of phones and laptops are not always the best quality. So, we recommend you switch to an external webcam for better video quality and experience. Many diagnoses depend on the doctor being able to see you clearly so that good picture quality will help in your diagnosis.
5. Choose the right place for your appointment.
To clearly communicate, you will need to pick a well-lit and distraction-free corner of your home or office to have a video conference with your doctor. For a better view, the lighting should be shining on your face, not backlit. Alternatively, a ring light attached to your webcam also does the trick.
6. Test Your Microphone and Camera Before the Appointment
We have all been there; minutes lost in a meeting or a call over frantic queries whether you can listen or see the other person and vice versa. Avoid such a scenario by checking your camera and microphone before the session and ensure that your software has permission to access both.
Sometimes your device will go back to default settings on restarting and connect to incorrect audio inputs and outputs or access the device camera instead of the plugged webcam.
7. Double-Check Your Insurance
This is extremely important to check before the session whether your insurance will cover telemedicine or not. The type of coverage also varies across States and even coverage plans. The Medicare plan pays for telehealth services for Covid-19 patients and other medical illnesses. Talk to your provider about what is covered by your plan and for more details about Medicare.
8. Note-down Your Symptoms
Telemedicine appointments are typically short, so it is better to jot down your symptoms and other problems you want to discuss with your doctor not to miss anything. It will also help note down any particular advice your doctor gives, although prescriptions for your medications will be forwarded to your email.
Many apps may also require you to fill-in or check-off symptoms, so the notes will help you fill up those forms.
9. Ensure Proper Security and Privacy Measures
Your medical history is your personal information, and you must take all measures to protect your privacy. Do not hesitate to ask your provider the best way to protect your information. Any login information should be confidential, and it is best to remain in a private place when you enter such information.
Platforms like Zoom, Apple Facetime, Google Hangouts, Skype, Facebook Messenger Video chat are standard methods for sessions. The providers will warn you in any case of privacy and security breaches. Let your provider know if you have a preferred platform where you are comfortable sitting for a session.
10. Virtual Waiting Room
You may be required to wait for a few minutes before your doctor shows up after clicking the link. Rest assured, the experience is better from your home’s comfort rather than the usual waiting rooms in hospitals or doctor’s offices. Grab a cup of coffee or scroll through the news while you wait.
11. Check Video Capabilities
Videos are better than phone calls because this lets your doctor check your body movements, any ailments, or the affected area to understand your problem better. You may also be required to upload photos of the affected skin or limb for your doctor to observe.
12. Prscription and In-person Visits
Despite telemedicine’s benefits, there are limitations to how much can be achieved through a phone or video call. Some conditions require body examinations or tests conducted like X-rays, blood tests, for which you will have to visit the health care facility in person.
However, you can quickly get your prescriptions renewed with virtual visits. Your doctor will contact the pharmacy so that you can restock your medications.
Conclusion
Given the benefits of telemedicine and the popularity with patients, especially those with mobility issues or in remote communities, telemedicine is here to stay even after the pandemic is over. This is especially true for the management of chronic illnesses or patients with disabilities and the elderly population. As we get ourselves used to this period of social distancing and virtual meetups, being familiar with the set up will help alleviate your nervousness before your next virtual visit.