What is Virtual Care and how does it work?
One of the fronts of telemedicine, Virtual Care, as its name implies, refers to a medical consultation in which the patient is physically distant from the healthcare physician.
During the global pandemic of COVID-19, the Ontario Government made an exception, allowing this type of care. Virtual Care is not only essential to keep patients, especially those in risk groups, protected at home, but also helps to unburden the health system. The online consultation also expands the offer of specialists to communities in remote areas that lack these professionals.
In this article we will explain what Virtual Care is, how it works and what medical clinics need to perform this type of care.
Interested in implementing Virtual Care? Contact us today.
Virtual Care: the new possibility of interaction between physicians and patients
Virtual Care brings the possibility of conducting a medical consultation remotely, through secured online communication technologies, such as video conferencing or video calling platforms. Generally speaking, it can be done in the following ways:
Among physicians – when a general practitioner seeks assistance from a specialist, such as a second opinion on the diagnosis, a more indicated drug, or even guidance on performing a procedure. The patient may or may not be present;
Between doctor and patient – directly, without the mediation of another doctor or health professional;
Synchronous – interaction is immediate or response is provided in a short period of time. An example is video consultation between doctor and patient;
Asynchronous – happens at different times and does not require direct interaction between the patient and the doctor.
Virtual consultations can be initial (first care), follow-up, urgency or supervision (with the exchange of experiences between professionals), and serve from primary care and nursing to different medical specialties such as radiology, dermatology, cardiology, neurology, pulmonology, psychiatry, rehabilitation, ophthalmology and others.
Advantages of Virtual Care
Among the advantages of Virtual Care, we can highlight the extension of the medical service for patients from geographical regions that are difficult to access. During the pandemic of the new coronavirus, for example, Virtual Care facilitates patients’ access to walk in clinics, since they can consult with professionals from anywhere in Ontario.
Other points that weigh in favor of Virtual Care are the optimization of time and costs, both for physicians and for patients, as clinical cases can be solved quicker.
In summary, we highlight the following benefits:
- Decrease in physical distances: access to medical specialists, even if the patient is in remote regions.
- More accurate diagnoses: physicians can get a second opinion and exchange knowledge with other specialists;
- Agility in patient care;
- Reduction of operating costs in clinics;
- Personal health information safety: stored with province-defined standards.
What it takes to deliver Amazing Virtual Care:
To perform the Virtual Care, the medical clinic needs a platform with a technology that guarantees the security of data exchanged among health professionals, patients and doctors.
When seeking a platform to be implement in the clinic, it is also important to verify the experience of the company that offers the service. It is always a good idea to check if the company is a reference in the area of innovation.
EMERGE presents services to assist doctors and patients
To help with actions to combat the spread of the new coronavirus in Ontario, EMERGE has developed a Virtual Care platform that can be used by any walk in clinic. It provides a safe tool to communicate with patients and to expand the clinic’s market reach.
EMERGE’s platform for Virtual Care is safe and agile so that patients can schedule their own online appointments and allow doctors to spend time where it matters the most: assisting patients.
Click here and talk to our team today.
To learn more about telemedicine and technological innovations for patient care continue to follow the updates on our blog. If you have any questions, please contact us.
EMERGE is passionate about facilitating the productiveness and efficiency of service in the healthcare industry. We aim to bring satisfaction to all our clients, whether it is making hospitals and clinics more prepared for accepting patients and cutting their operational costs, or saving patients’ time by avoiding frustrating waiting lines.
We hope our blog will be a supportive source of useful information that can be adapted to enhance your practice.
