Telemedicine is a great way to get the care and treatment you need without leaving your home. However, there are some times when telemedicine is not a good idea. In this blog post, we will discuss some of these times.
In telemedicine, patients interact remotely with their physicians or healthcare professionals through two-way video conferencing, online chat messaging, teleconferencing, emailing etc. Patients can be monitored as well as diagnosed by doctors from a remote location.
As telemedicine becomes more popular in the global world, it has been adopted for everyday use especially regarding elderly people who want to stay within their homes for years instead of going into a nursing home full time.
In addition, telemedicine has been used a lot recently in rural areas where there are not enough medical professionals available for certain services like maternity care, pediatrics and even optometry.
However telemedicine is not suitable for all kinds of medical encounters or situations. In telemedicine, the patient who has to do the interaction with the doctor should be able to see and hear well from a remote location.
Patient Disabilities
If they have sensory disabilities such as blindness or deafness telemedicine will not work well because it requires audio and visual senses in order for teleconferencing to happen.
Acute Mental Health Situations
Telemedicine can be a dangerous idea for certain patients if they are paranoid about strangers seeing them while they are at their worst state especially when they are sick.
Privacy Constraints
Some doctors may also refuse telemedicine services if their main concern is the privacy of their patients which puts telemedicine services in danger of being abandoned.
Acute Health Emergencies
In telemedicine, the doctor’s main concern is to make sure that telemedicine will be safe for their patients. For example, telemedicine might not be a good idea if the patient has multiple medical conditions which need emergency care or advice urgently.
Unstable Health Conditions
It is also not suitable if their illness needs constant monitoring and supervision throughout teleconferencing because teleconferencing cannot really take place 24/7 since it applies to normal working practices usually done during office hours unless additional arrangements are made like shift tele-monitoring in hospitals and clinics where telemedicine service is available full time round the clock.
Need for Initial Physical Examination
In addition, telemedicine cannot replace the actual physical examination of a patient because telemedicine uses camera technology to allow doctors see their patients from a remote facility instead of using medical equipment such as a stethoscope.
When is Telemedicine from The VIOS Clinic NOT a Good Fit for You?
What is The VIOS Clinic?
The VIOS Clinic is a Global Concierge Telemedicine platform that helps you directly connect with highly skilled and certified specialists – to help manage your chronic health issues, wherever you are.
We provide on-demand expert second opinions, medical consults, lifestyle counseling and peer referrals for previously diagnosed health conditions or if you are unsatisfied or confused about your treatments.
Who might need our concierge telemedicine services?
We help patients who need that extra care and attention to fully understand their health issues, discuss latest treatment options and get the right direction for the next best step for their care – recommended by specialists.
When would you not need our concierge telemedicine services?
- Acute emergencies (you should seek emergency care nearest to you)
- You have not consulted your local primary doctor yet
- You are not yet diagnosed with nor being managed for a chronic health condition (eg. diabetes)
- You have a minor short term health issue like a cold or a sprain.
- You have a medical insurance plan that is sufficient for your needs
- You may not be able to afford some of our plans
Conclusion
While telemedicine may be a great option for some, it is not the right choice for everyone. It is important to do your research and contact your chosen online doctor platform to ask questions about the types of services they offer.
By doing so, you can ensure that you are making an informed decision about which healthcare provider is best for you and your family. Join our mailing list so that you can get more insightful articles about the latest trends in telemedicine – straight into your inbox.
BLOG AUTHOR
Dr. Ismail Sayeed
Dr. Sayeed is the Medical Director of ViOS, Inc. He is a deeply committed physician entrepreneur & medical blog writer. While building the global infrastructure of the VIOS Clinic, he is dedicated to educate people on the potential of specialist telemedicine for managing chronic diseases.
Read more about him in his author bio
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