Doctors, webcams and online consultation June 23, 2008
Posted by Dr. Bertalan Meskó in e-patient, eHealth, Health, Health 2.0, Healthcare, Medicine, Medicine 2.0.trackback
The most interesting thing I read this week was about the new doctor-patient paradigm. Because there is a new one:
“The doctor-patient relationship has changed dramatically with the demise of ‘good ol’ doc’ and the explosion of medical technology,” says Paul M. Ross, an orthopedic surgeon in Pawlet, VT. “Today, patients are not only more knowledgeable, they’re more cynical. The increased use of physician extenders, hurried service, and overbooking have all contributed to the number of physician-patient relationships that are adversarial as opposed to collegial.”
Practicing medicine is changing rapidly these days. Patients have more resources to get more information about their medical conditions but they also have more tools to contact their doctors. American Well is only one example:
The company’s big idea is more ambitious: A patient who wants an online doctor consult can log on and get something approaching a complete doctor visit, often without waiting. The doc can review the patient’s record, make a diagnosis, write a prescription and make a referral, all online. Patients without a webcam can talk to the doctor on the phone.
Jay Parkinson’s Hello Health is another.
Patients can find medical experts with Online Doctor Consultation:
We´ll put you in touch with the world´s leading specialists and medical institutions, giving you fast and comprehensive service that´s easy to access, and personalized to your needs.The procedure is simple. Just choose your options, and we do the rest. You can start by contacting us now for more information, click on Services to see what we offer, or go to Getting Started to start the ball rolling.
So of course, it’s hard to be a patient nowadays (you have plenty of things to choose from); and hard to be a doctor as well (you have to be the good old doc, but should be open to these new technologies).
And if you think the solution would be a healthcare reform, George Halvorson, CEO of Kaiser Permanente, tells you what to do:
Further reading:
- Call Your Doctor Online: The Future of Medicine?
- Jay Parkinson and Hello Health
- Call Your Doctor Online: The Future of Medicine?
- Interview with Jay Parkinson, the web-savvy doctor
- From Doctor 2.0 to Patient 2.0: On Video
Halvorson knows. Hear him out. Read his book. Then read the foils again. Doctors won’t reform health care, we have to. Despite them.
We can build our own wikis, like Wikipedia, to collect the best understandings of our own health problems and what works to deal with them. That can help us a lot. But it won’t fix the rest of the system.
Only the payers can reform the rest of the health care non-system we suffer from in this country. Let’s demand that the payers reform the system and show us that what they do works. Let’s get the results evaluated year after year by experts from places with better health care. Let’s make sure that our health care profiteers do not corrupt them.
I went to a psych appt. yesterday for depression. My therapist was there and all, but it was so weird because the psychiatrist was on a web cam. It was probably not an experience that I would prefer. I mean, it was interesting to experience but, I am a relational type of person and take relationships very close at heart and so seeing a doctor on web cam was a bit weird. I could open up to it a bit more..but seeing how I plan on going into the field of medicine in a few years… I would personally not practice this way unless it was absolutely necessary. I would probably decide to meet with all patients at least two times in person before agreeing to meet with them online because it is easier to know their situation once you have seen and examined their body. Much easier.
But, I guess it’s different for everyone. I honestly would not make it my preference. This world is becoming one to consider only quick convenience. It’s all about money. My therapist’s office laid off all of their psychiatrists because of money and hired ones out of state that see patients faster and more often (to lower the costs) and chose to do it all on web cam. I was evaluated, diagnosed, and prescribed medicine and ordered a full blood work up all in maybe 30 minutes tops.
hi, my name is ada from nigeria and i have a problem to ask a doctor
i heard that during your menstruation, clotted blood is a bad sign and whenever i see my peroid, i always have a lot of clotted blooed at the end
and secondly,i have an abortion 2 times in 2007 and am wondering if i will be able to become pregnant again, please i really need to know cause am so scared and i will soon be getting married
Hi.
I always get my period to perfection, to be exact every 24th day. but all of a sudden, I have not got my period in the last 3 months, i am not pregnant, I just dont know what ? I hardly eat takeaways, I eat good foods, I am alittle overweight…. I just dont understand is something wrong with me ?
hi my name is cheryl sutphen and I am writing a paper for school and I just wanted to know some of the worst side effects that occur to your body from drinking alcohol?
HI, I AM 26, i supposed to have seen my period 7 days ago now, I have not seen it. I susspect its an infection. cos I once had candidiase that made my period not to come on time.
Could you please tell me the best medicine to treat infection. cos I am eager to start having kids
for the past six months i have been having heavy menstation, bloating, sever abdominal pain and back aches. also, i tend to have difficulty defecating and when i do, blood oozes out. i am really worried and i need some advice as to what could be the possible causes.