Why your next doctor’s appointment may be online

 

Telehealth, or virtual health care, has been growing across the United States for the last decade. However, the COVID-19 pandemic is accelerating its adoption and use. 

Driving telehealth expansion

That’s because it’s an ideal way to see patients while preventing the spread of germs to providers, staff, visitors and patients. The demand also comes from tech savvy consumers who are accustomed to using technology in other areas of their lives. Additionally, it can bring care to areas where it’s becoming hard to find physicians to provide care—certain rural, urban and underserved communities. 

Best use of telehealth 

Primary and specialty care providers at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, like many other doctors across the country, are working with patients to shift certain types of care to online platforms. Telehealth is appropriate for non-urgent health issues such as colds, flu, back pain, diarrhea, headache, heartburn, sinus problems and urinary tract infections. It can be used for follow-up appointments and, sometimes, to screen and determine if higher-level care or in-person care is required. Telehealth isn’t ideal for emergencies and life-threatening conditions. 

What to expect during a telehealth appointment

If you’ve scheduled your first telehealth visit, you should expect to receive high-quality care, though your physician may not be able to see or examine you in the traditional way. You may have to describe your symptoms with more detail, share pictures or use other mobile/online tools to provide some important clinical information, such as blood pressure, weight and heart rate. If you’re using a phone or internet connection, you should make sure the line or connection is clear. If you’re doing a video visit, be sure to have good lighting so that the doctor can see you.

Selecting a telehealth provider

If you don’t already have a doctor, choosing a telehealth provider should be like choosing any other provider. Choose someone you feel comfortable with and who you feel that you can talk to. Also, you may want to find someone who speaks your language or has access to language interpretation services.

If you don't have a primary care provider, call Ohio State Telehealth Immediate Care at 614-293-3200.

Health technology is catching up to other industries

As our country transitions much of our primary care and specialty care to telehealth in the next five years, patients will always have the option of seeing their physicians in person, if that’s more comfortable for them. This will mimic what we’ve seen in other industries like banking and aviation. For example, I can still go to the bank to make certain transactions that must be made with a teller, or go to the airport and work with the airline desk on complicated reservation needs. However, most of my day-to-day needs can be supported through online, mobile or personalized banking and travel planning.

The future of health care

Once health systems and patients grow accustomed to efficient, streamlined and more person-centered options for certain types of care that are readily accessible, it’ll be hard to return to the current model of in-person visits for everything. I believe that telehealth will persist and be widely embraced after this COVID-19 threat has passed. We must seize this moment to create new ways of thinking about, delivering and experiencing care. We must train our current and future health professionals, as well as patients, for the new “webside” manner and reality that will be needed to make this succeed.

J. Nwando Olayiwola is a family physician at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center and chair of the Department of Family Medicine at The Ohio State University College of Medicine.