Today, telemedicine and teleconsultations are a modern form of health services. Thanks to them, we can connect with medical staff online or by phone. Such a solution is fully legal and treated as a physical visit to a doctor’s office.
What is telemedicine?
Telemedicine involves providing medical services via the Internet or telephone. The most common forms of contact are chat, phone call and video conference. Thanks to this, the patient does not have to physically appear for the visit. During the online consultation, the doctor is in contact with a doctor or a larger number of specialists, if necessary. It is also possible to remotely diagnose the patient on the basis of the submitted test results, such as X-ray or ECG.
During the teleconsultation, the doctor can also issue an e-prescription with a code to purchase the drug or an e-exemption, which will be automatically sent to the Social Insurance Institution and the employer. If necessary, the general practitioner can remotely write an e-referral for further examinations to a specific specialist. It is even possible to regularly upload a patient’s vital indicators, such as sugar or blood pressure, from home devices to the doctor’s database. This allows for systematic control of the patient’s health.
The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the popularity of teleconsultations
The impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the popularity of telemedicine is significant. This time significantly accelerated the computerization of the Polish health service. As recently as 2019, these services were sporadic. A year later, they became a priority tool that ensured the continuity of medical care for many patients.
During the pandemic, the number of online and telephone services increased significantly. All thanks to maintaining the necessary social distance. At that time, teleconsultations became an equal form of medical visits. The difficult situation of the pandemic has led to the rapid implementation and optimization of telemedicine systems. All this has resulted in the fact that today telemedicine is not considered an emergency exit, but a convenient model of healthcare.
Advantages of telecounseling and telemedicine
There are many benefits of teleconsultations. We can mention here:
- much shorter waiting time, especially for a visit to a specialist,
- convenience, because the patient does not have to be physically present at the visit – it is comfortable for people living in small towns, the elderly, the disabled or leading an intense, busy lifestyle,
- safety, which is the lack of contact with other patients in clinics, especially during the high infection season.
Disadvantages of telemedicine and telecounseling
The disadvantages of telecounselling include:
- lack of direct contact between the doctor and the patient, and thus the lack of physical examination when necessary,
- risk of incorrect diagnosis – the doctor relies mainly on the patient’s subjective symptoms; then a mistake may occur as a result of overlooking important symptoms,
- digital exclusion and technological barrier – this is especially true for the elderly.
