Recent changes to society worldwide have led to adaptations for work and healthcare. For example, many doctors are using video chats and streaming to hold regular medical appointments, renew prescriptions, and preoperative and aftercare appointments. This removes some strain from the doctor offices and allows access to people who are unable to arrive at hospitals and care centers quickly.
Easier Access
Many people who require regular check-ins with their care providers have medical needs that make it harder for them to physically get to care centers for their appointments. They may have limited mobility, lack of transportation, or limited funds to get to their appointments. Offering online access to check-ins can save them both time and money, making what may be an exhausting and expensive trip to an appointment into only a few minutes of their day spent logging in for a video call.
For follow-ups, prescription updates, and renewals, an online appointment can be fast, efficient, and affordable. Patients no longer fill waiting rooms or need to sit in the waiting room with others who are potentially sick and even contagious. This will reduce the spread of colds and other contagious illnesses, resulting in fewer people seeking medical care and leaving more time for other appointments and walk-in care. In addition, as fewer people become ill and spread it to others, there is a faster recovery for the community.
Less Time Cleaning and Sanitizing
After each patient, the treatment or appointment room is cleaned and sanitized. This can take a short amount of time for small rooms where few things are touched, but even a few minutes after each patient, with dozens of patients each day, will add up and take a lot of time from the day. It also adds costs in supplies and the wages for those who are completing the work. In addition, this cleaning is only completed after in-person visits and can cut down on hours of cleaning each week by offering online appointments.
Time-Saving
By scheduling an appointment with a telehealth doctor, time can be saved on both sides of the equation, both for the doctor as well as for the patient. Without moving from room to room and patient to patient, with a deep clean between each, and only switching from one video call to the next time is saved throughout the day, and appointments can be moved closer together. In addition, working within their office, there is much time saved throughout the day, which frees up more time for prep or appointments.
When a doctor can see all of their own patients, it frees up space in the walk-in clinics and emergency rooms for those who need it most, and the strain is decreased upon the medical system. In addition, there are time savings for nurses and other staff responsible not only for patient care but also for medical records, immunizations, and more.
