How to make the most of your online doctor Consultation

Posted Date : 20 APR 2020

Online consultation replicates the experience you’d have in a doctor’s office as closely as possible, without many of the annoyances

Doctor visits are not always convenient today which is why, the use of online consultation is a great option to crowd and save time by seeing the doctor immediately from home without going through the waiting room. Most visits happen within 10-15 minutes once you have scheduled the appointment.

Most importantly, online consultations can also significantly reduce the possible transmission of infectious diseases between patients occurring in the waiting rooms. This is particularly an issue where in the time of COVID-19.

Another perk of online consultation is that no matter where you are, you don’t have to travel to the doctor’s office. This way the cost is significantly less than an in-person appointment and you don’t have to stress about how you’re going to get to the clinic, or who is going to watch your children or even pets while you’re out.

Your focus can purely be on talking to the doctor and getting that much needed advice on how to feel better as quickly as possible.

So, here are some tips on how to make the most your online doctor consultation experience:

Before the consultation:

Ensure that you’re in a quiet space with a proper and stable internet connection so the doctor will be able to see and hear, and communicate with you effectively. If the doctor cannot communicate with you properly, you will be direct to alternative resources, which will be a waste of time for the doctor as well as you. Here are a few things to make sure you have a smooth consultation:

1. Before starting the virtual consultation jot down all of your symptoms, so that you don’t forget to mention them during the consultation, as the information you provide is important for the final diagnosis.
2. Make sure that your camera is always at eye level, and the frame includes your entire face and your shoulders.
3. Ensure that your background is tidy and free of distractions.
4. Ensure that your background is tidy and free of distractions.
5. Avoid loud background noise.

During the consultation:

The doctor will have several basic questions that they will ask during your initial consultation, so prepare a brief medical summary that you can keep handy in anticipation of any questions. This may include:

1. Onset, duration, location, nature of medical issues if any
2. Any procedures tried so far and if they were successful and satisfactory
3. Past medical and surgical history
4. List medications that you are on currently and allergies (if any).

This will save time and help your doctor to efficiently tailor the consultation.

Remember that virtual care is in no way meant to replace primary care. There are conditions where a patient should visit the doctor in person in order to get the appropriate procedure or tests done. Yet, virtual technology is still able to address a significant number of conditions that people visit us for. And most of the conditions can be handled much more efficiently over online consultation.