Navigating Telehealth: A Guide for Patients and Providers

For many people, getting to the doctor’s for regular checkups, help when ill, and follow-up visits can be harder than it seems. Some people don’t have the item, others don’t want to leave the house when they’re not feeling good, and others may have mobility issues or other concerns. Telehealth fixes these issues, makes it easier for patients and providers, and helps people get the care they need. 

Availability of Telehealth Appointments

Telehealth appointments allow patients to schedule and attend a doctor appointment by video. This allows the patient to get the help they need, without having to leave the house. Since telehealth has more open availability, even if it’s the middle of the night, the patient can get help without having to go to the emergency room or seek other emergency care. This helps keep costs low and enables them to still receive the best care possible. 

Diagnose Common Health Issues

Patients may want to get help for common health issues like headaches, back pain, a sore throat, or flu symptoms. With telehealth, they don’t have to struggle to go to the doctor’s office to get the help they need. Often, these issues can be diagnosed through questionnaires about what the patient is experiencing and through videos or by sending photographs to the doctor. Since they are easy to diagnose, the patient can get the care they need from home to start treating their health issue. 

Provide Access to Medications

Someone who is ill may need antibiotics or other medications to help them recover, but this doesn’t mean they need to head to the doctor’s office. Instead, through a telehealth visit, they can get a prescription for the medications they need. It is even possible to obtain refills for prescriptions they take regularly or to discuss changes to medications that may be necessary to help preserve the patient’s health. 

Followups Possible for Patients

It’s not always easy for patients to follow up with doctors about the care they’ve received. Appointments may be months out or they may not have the time to go back to the doctor when they’re feeling better and catching up with everything they missed. However, telehealth makes essential follow-up visits much easier. Patients can schedule the video call for whenever they have spare time, talk to the doctor, and get any further instructions that may be needed for them to feel better.

Availability for Those Who Can’t Get to the Doctor

Some patients may not be able to get to a doctor when they feel ill. They may not want to leave the house or could be feeling too ill to drive anywhere. They may have mobility issues or other concerns that make it challenging to go anywhere. With telehealth appointments, this doesn’t matter. They’re able to get the care they need through a virtual visit, so they can start feeling better right away or get the long-term help they need for their health.

Telehealth provides numerous benefits for both patients and providers, and it is an excellent way to help improve medical care within the local community. Providers can look into how to get started offering telehealth today, so their patients can always get the care they need, no matter if they can’t leave the house or it’s after hours. 

Mexico Daily Post