DOC
ORS ON THE WEB
THE RISE OF TELEMEDICINE SERVICES AMID THE PANDEMIC KYLE BAUTISTA CONSULTING YOUR DOCTORS or physicians has never been easier! We have always been used to physically visiting our doctors in hospitals or clinics for the simplest of reasons, but that will change because of telemedicine. Dr. Liji Thomas, a medical doctor, explained in an article that telemedicine is a form of medical check-ups wherein the patient can discuss matters with their doctors simply through audio/video calls. However, telemedicine is only applicable when the consultation does not require the doctor to see the patient. This means that this only caters to non-emergency medical consultations like dosage adjustments, prescription refills, or lifestyle regimen suggestions. Medical emergencies wherein the doctor needs to physically examine and see the patient will not be of much value for telemedicine. On the bright side, those who suffer from chronic diseases like diabetes, high blood or cholesterol will definitely benefit through this process. (Thomas, L. 2021.) Due to the ongoing pandemic, hospitals have started to adopt this kind of medical consultation. Medgate Philippines is one of the few hospitals that offer free telemedicine. Other hospitals like the Eva Digital Clinic and Pasig Doctors Medical Center offer online medical checkups for a price. Regardless, hospitals are not requiring anyone to avail of this type of medical consultation, rather, it is a personal decision and will depend on the situation of the patient. However,
not all hospitals have fully implemented telemedicine, other local hospitals are yet to fully establish online medical consultations. Some do provide and make an exemption depending on the doctor and situation of the patient’s health It is to be noted though that telemedicine is not here to replace clinics or medical check-ups, instead what it does is support and complement the already existing physical consultations with doctors. It only acts as an additional help to provide extra care for the patients. According to American Family Physician, 35 studies were conducted and found out that through telemedicine, there is a significant improvement when it comes to time and comprehensiveness of service. This means that hospital visits were reduced but clinical outcomes such as treatments are not much affected. Physical check-ups are still much more effective than telemedicine when it comes to serious matters because of the available apparatuses that doctors can use to diagnose and treat the patient. Apparatuses can include things like a stethoscope, CT scan, and many more that are usually not found in homes. This is not to say that telemedicine does not have its advantages. In some aspects, telemedicine proves to be more effective in terms of providing convenience and ease of access, it also enables the doctors to accommodate more patients than the usual setting wherein they have to go by appointment. This is especially true now that we are in a pandemic and our movement is limited by the ongoing quarantine.
