What Is a Virtual Doctor Appointment, and How Does It Work?

By | September 30, 2021

You have probably heard about making use of doctor appointment scheduling software. The software has eased and streamlined services for your medical facility. Patients no longer need to call, email or text the office when they want to set up an appointment. All the information is on the online platform. The levels of convenience and efficiency are unparalleled.

The advancement of technology has brought another efficient service to the medical industry, the virtual doctor appointment. In this article, we are going to unpack everything about a virtual doctor visit/ appointment and how it works.

A virtual doctor appointment

 

This is where a patient and doctor interact through different communication channels, save for face-to-face interaction. This may be through the use of a web-based portal or a phone. Most of the applications or websites on the market involve a video feature.

Though it may be a bit unorthodox, one may find that this system is just as effective as a normal face-to-face meeting or visit.

How does it work?

As long as you have a smart device (laptop, tablet, or phone) and a stable internet connection, you can make use of virtual doctor appointments. Most virtual doctor appointments will begin with the registration of the patient to an application or website. This may be linked to patient-doctor scheduling software. This allows for the doctor to identify and access your patient health information from their centralized software quickly.

Next is the actual appointment. If you have attended a two-person Zoom meeting or done a video-conferencing call before, this is similar to that. The patient will describe to the doctor the various symptoms. If there are physical showings of the disease or illness, the doctor might require you to use the video feature to display.

Finally, the doctor will make the diagnosis and recommend to you a nearby pharmacy to pick up their prescriptions.

From a disease perspective

There are some diseases that are highly contagious. It is recommended that the infected persons should limit contact with others. But these same people need to get a diagnosis. How do they do so? Well, here the virtual doctor appointment can help. From the comfort and safety of their premises, a doctor can offer sound and professional advice.

Some diseases make the patient uneasy and unable to venture outside. Examples of such diseases include stomachache, diarrhea, and urinary tract infections. With such infections, it may be more appropriate for an online visit than an in-person visit.

However, if the disease requires a hands-on exam, tests, or scans, an in-person visit is unavoidable.

Conclusion

You must remember we are in the age of efficiency and convenience. Spurred on by the retail sector, customers and clients expect to meet their needs by the most effective means. From the comfort of their home, they want to be pleased with services.

It is time that you got the proper equipment installed in your medical facility to be able to offer such an opportunity.