Even before the Corona, let’s face it, avoiding traveling to see the doctor was already attractive. Now this is really a concrete reality: more and more people are discussing their health problem from a distance. Are we liking?
The AMCC is a distance training school for learning a profession in alternative medicine, such as naturopathy or homeopathy. So we might think that since we train our therapists 100% online, we also encourage them to work this way.
Not quite.
We will see in this article the different aspects of the problem, and of course, the choice will be up to you!
Telehealth
Apart from “Dr. Google” which has proven to be very useful on several occasions, we now have all kinds of doctors available online.
Telehealth means (according to wikipedia) “all technologies, networks and healthcare services based on telecommunications and including education programs, collaborative research, consultation as well as other services offered in the goal of improving the health of the patient”.
Actually, a study showed that using telehealth reduces all-cause 30-day hospital readmissions among heart failure patients receiving skilled home health services…
This concept of remote health appeared towards the end of the 1990s. We can also speak of teleconsultation or remote consultation. Before the COVID-19, even though interest was high, in practice it was very slow.
However, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the COVID-19 pandemic has reduced barriers to telehealth access and has promoted the use of telehealth as a way to deliver acute, chronic, primary and specialty care.
Some Numbers
Here are some figures from the time before the Coronavirus:
70% of doctors consider that telemedicine would allow them to better manage the number of consultation requests.
59% of doctors see telemedicine as a lever for improving the care of chronic patients.
50% of French people are ready to use teleconsultation in addition to physical monitoring.
More recently (2020) we find the following data:
The number of teleconsultations reimbursed by Health Insurance has exploded, from 40,000 procedures in February to 4.5 million in April, stabilizing at around 1 million procedures carried out during the summer. In addition, the vast majority of teleconsulted health professionals are liberal general practitioners.
Thirty-six studies of varying study design and quality met the criteria for this scientific study. The outcomes of satisfaction with telehealth were categorised into system experience, information sharing, consumer focus and overall satisfaction. There were high levels of satisfaction across all these dimensions.
Advantages and Disadvantages
It is true that it is convenient, both for patients and for caregivers, to consult online. Let’s see some main advantages:
Take the transport time off completely.
Removes problems related to finding staff for the professional.
No queue.
If you are in a place without a clinic or doctor, you have online access.
Offers very flexible hours (especially in the event of holidays, holidays or even jet lag.)
Gives consultation as a secondary professional activity (“side-gig”.)
The practitioner gets to know his patient better, who is in his environment.
simplify patient follow-up in a context of increasing chronic pathologies (read: as it’s always the same problems that keep coming back, it’s a shame to travel)
Less chance of catching the corona (or passing it on!)
- Situations in which in-person visits are more appropriate due to urgency, underlying health conditions, or inability to perform an adequate physical exam
- The need to address sensitive topics, especially if there is patient discomfort or concern for privacy
- Limited access to technological devices (e.g., smartphone, tablet, computer) needed for a telehealth visit or connectivity issues
Naturopaths Online
If Online Medicine is now a reality, our naturopathic and homeopathic practitioners are also concerned. You will find online sites like MesDocteurs which promises to answer 24 hours a day or Health Consultations which offers services in homeopathy, herbal medicine and micronutrition.
Consultations generally take place as follows:
- a first meeting (free or not) allows you to get to know each other and see if there is compatibility with the practitioner.
- An official meeting by phone, Skype or FaceTime (the Zoom program is also increasingly popular).
The summary of the meeting is sent by email as well as the medications by mail, in some cases. The practitioner can also choose to send additional documents, such as a dictionary of terms used or menu ideas. - In more serious cases, he can direct the patient to consult and do the necessary examinations.
For some online clinics, payment in advance makes it possible to fix the appointment definitively. This can however be postponed if the practitioner is notified in advance.
You can find consultations online starting at 75$. Usually, the first consultation is a bit more expensive than the follow-ups.
Here’s a link to a webinar event from Dr. Shaw on this topic (a bit more scientific though): only on April 20th 2021.
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