Telehealth and telemedicine allow patients to have virtual visits to their doctors instead of having to meet face to face. During this time, as the country continues to battle the coronavirus pandemic, the use of telemedicine is instrumental in flattening the curve.
If you’ve ever sought out medical care (for non-life-threatening conditions) since March, you may have noticed medical practices are offering telemedicine to patients. This is the safer route to take given the high transmission rate of coronavirus. If recent events have proven anything, it is that virtual doctor visits will only increase in demand because of their convenience and effectiveness.
How Virtual Visits Keep You and Your Doctor Safe
The goal of virtual visits is to enable doctors to see patients over a video conference call in order to dispense medical advice and prescriptions. The way this respiratory illness spreads — through tiny droplets, aerosolized particles, and touching your face after touching a contaminated object – makes taking every precaution important to stop it’s spread.
Social distancing is of paramount importance when it comes to stopping the spread of coronavirus. Because of telemedicine, it is possible to incorporate social distancing when it comes to your medical care. What doctors are trying to avoid is patients ill with something minor coming into a healthcare facility and being exposed to other patients – or even healthcare facility workers – with coronavirus.
What makes virtual visits so helpful is that they help keep possible carriers away from those who they could infect, not just those with compromised immune systems. Even those who are healthy and maybe asymptomatic can be carriers themselves. This can put others you are exposed to at risk even without you being aware. As the medical community learns more about the virus, recommendations may change. However, today, every person is urged to be responsible by staying home when feeling sick in order to prevent others from getting exposed. Moreover, virtual visits also help ease the burden on medical practices. Asymptomatic carriers may infect the frontline workers in hospitals, allowing them to care for patients who truly need it.
All You Need is Computer or Smartphone
You will find that it’s very easy to set up a virtual visit with your physician. If you’ve ever had a video chat with a family member or friend, it’s the same concept. You simply use a link provided by your doctor’s office to initiate a video conference at the scheduled appointment time. Your appointment will include a thorough discussion of your health, symptoms, and lifestyle. Your doctor will ask for every detail about your condition and then make recommendations on treatment.
What If You Have a More Serious Condition?
If you have a health condition that is serious or your doctor is unable to make a diagnosis without seeing you in person, you may be asked to schedule an in-office visit. Your quality of care does not decline with virtual appointments. Your doctor will make every attempt to diagnose you correctly through a virtual appointment. When this is not possible, you will be asked to come in for diagnostic testing. Overall, virtual appointments are very convenient and ease anxieties about in-person visits whenever possible.
Set up a Virtual Visit With an Orthopedic Doctor in Palm Beach
The Personalized Orthopedics of the Palm Beaches is proud to offer telemedicine to our patients. For mild to moderate orthopedic pain, we make it easy for you to reach us and get the individualized care and treatment you need.
Call (561) 733-5888 ext. 102 to set up a virtual visit or submit a request now, and we will get back to you. Your health and safety are our top priorities, and we strive to provide you with the highest quality care in the safest way possible.
