Telemedicine Makes Medical Consultations Convenient!
With the spread of the COVID 19 pandemic slowing down, life is slowly edging towards normalcy once again. Yet, the lessons we have learned from the pandemic will stay with us for a long time to come. One of the most important things most of us realized during the pandemic was the importance of having insurance. The suddenness of the onset of COVID 19 and widespread infection had the world on edge; almost anyone could fall ill next. Thus, it was important to stay protected with proper coverage, whether through health insurance or life insurance.
The pandemic also threw light on many other things too, such as the benefits of technology. Most of us literally passed the whole of 2020 with the help of the Internet for everything from streaming shows to working from home and even ordering food and groceries. Another important aspect of technology too came to light – the ability to connect with doctors online through telemedicine.
What is telemedicine?
Telemedicine refers to a system that lets patients connect with doctors via the Internet (through a smartphone app or the laptop) or over the phone.
Telemedicine during the COVID 19 era
Telemedicine has always existed; however, its importance and value really shone through during the COVID 19 pandemic. For most of 2020, clinics and hospitals were inaccessible for walk-ins; if you had an infection, you needed to follow protocols to get checked and tested.
Telemedicine has allowed patients to get instant professional advice over video consultation with a doctor. Telemedicine services can be easily accessed in many ways. Some of the popular methods are through an insurance website or even through a wellness and fitness app. The doctor is able to examine the patient’s symptoms, and even prescribe medicines. Only if absolutely necessary, the patient is later called in for a face-to-face session for further testing.
Thus, we can see how telemedicine played an immense role in helping control the spread of infection.
Why telemedicine is still relevant
Even though COVID 19 cases are steadily on the decline, telemedicine can still prove to be an extremely effective way of getting medical assistance. Here are some of the major benefits you enjoy if you rely on telemedicine for your initial consultation with the doctor –
Accessibility
One of the main plus points of telemedicine is that the services of the doctor are instantly accessible. As the telemedicine platform will most likely have several doctors on their panel, you can always get through to someone with a wait-time that is almost negligible.
Ease of function
These days, telemedicine services can be easily accessed on an insurance website or through a wellness and fitness app. All you need to do is log in to the website or download the app on your smartphone to get started – it’s that simple!
Helpful in an emergency
Imagine a scenario in which you are unable to access medical help when unwell. For instance, you may suddenly come down with the flu at night and feel too sick to leave the house at such a late hour. Using a health app, you can conveniently consult with a doctor digitally from the comfort of your own bed at home.
Prevents the spread of infection
As we have seen, telemedicine played a major part in helping prevent the spread of infection during the peak of the COVID 19 pandemic. Patients with suspected COVID 19 symptoms could get consultations over the phone or on a video call without having to go to clinics, lowering the risk of possibly infecting others or even catching something themselves. The same benefit can prove helpful even now – if a person is down with a cold, they can easily get a consultation over a video call with the doctor and avoid passing on germs to others, minimizing their exposure to the public by physically going to the clinic.
Thus, we see how immensely helpful telemedicine can prove to be!
How do I access telemedicine services?
Simply download a wellness and fitness app for instant access to telemedicine services from your smartphone. Follow the instructions for logging in and setting up an account. Most of these wellness apps also offer you many other helpful features such as symptoms checkers, BMI information, and fitness tips.
Hope this article has helped better your understanding of the benefits of telemedicine.
