Would you seek medical assistance online?
Introduction:When you thought that ordering food and getting yourself a date was the best that internet has to offer, you probably haven’t met Practo or any online medical consultancy provider. They wouldn’t give those scary judgmental looks that sometimes doctors in person would and you can ask anything – as freely as you never could face-to-face.
There have been many such medical assistance services online but the latest one has seem to have caught everyone’s attention. A Twitter handle at the name of ‘AskPracto’ is meant to get your medical queries answered via a list of doctors on the receiving end of your query. All you have to do is type in your problem and wait for a suggestive solution.
Many have argued that online solutions to healthcare is like shooting at blind range, unless and until you see a doctor in person there is no coming down to conclusions about your health conditions. It would be more like predicting than actual diagnosis.
Yes:1. Privacy : While patients should not shy away from doctors even when the problem is embarrassing or sensitive but then most people would not be bold enough to approach a doctor in some cases. They would rather stick to online research and self-medication. Online medical assistance is at least ensured with the very fact that there is a doctor or a panel of doctors to listen to your problem and give you the right suggestion, which might also include seeing a doctor in person for diagnosis and tests.
2. Available everywhere : You could be enjoying a revitalizing vacation at a remote location and you could learn that you need medical assistance but the doctors there are of little use. You can easily have access to online doctors and they could help you know if you need to move back to city or you could get yourself treated there. You cannot get experts and specialists in most areas and that’s where online assistance could be of great benefit. This is one of the best advantages of online medical assistance services.
3. Cost effective : A single visit to a doctor just for consultation, even if you were suffering from no major problem, would cost you quite more than most people in India earn daily. Unnecessary tests and scanning which are not the least bit required in the treatment are added only to add to your bills. People do want to hear expert views on their problems but are worried about the bills. Most people would rather go to general physician than to a specialist to save on money. With online assistance, people can talk to experts about their problem and visit a doctor only when absolutely required.
4. Internet searches : Asking a real doctor online for suggestions is far better than what most people who have access to internet do – they simply punch in the keywords to Google and reply on information provided by result websites. Some of these sites that are listed high on search do have wrong and misleading information. They cater to one type of a particular disease and speak in general terms which makes it difficult for you to understand that your problem and condition could differ to a great range from what the site speaks of.
5. No hurrying : We all know how much the best doctors are busy these days. After waiting for hours for your appointment, you get to speak to the doctor only for a limited period of time. The doctor is definitely in a hurry to get to the next waiting patient and hence you are faced with problems where you later learn that you forgot to ask a few things to the doctor, only to remember when you have left the clinic. Some people also have communication problem where they are shy to speak to anyone in person.
6. Just a second opinion : Sometimes, mainly in times of major health issues, after meeting a doctor in person most of us look for second opinions. They do not have to come from over-friendly neighbors and relatives when you have a real doctor to assist you online.
No :1. Unethical sale of prescription drugs : Online medical services can open doors to drug abusers where they can easily have access to drugs that are dangerous and not supposed to be sold without a prescription from a registered doctor. A person can totally fake disease and the doctor would be bound to write him an online prescription for drugs that are not be taken without proper examination of the health condition. Same goes about for online medicine selling websites that can rely on any type of prescription to send anyone forbidden medicines.
2. Cyber space is not all that safeI if you are turning to online medical assistance only to keep your sensitive information a secret, you might want to think again. There have been many cases of cyber fraudulence where doctors posted pictures of patients, mainly to discuss medical conditions with other doctors, without seeking permission from the patient. In case of online assistance, the doctor at helpdesk might want to take a look at your affected area and this is far more uncomfortable in terms of privacy than seeing a doctor in person.
3. Evaluating the quality of doctor : There is a kind of comfort level you experience with an expert doctor which lets you form an image about the quality of doctor when you see them in person. You know why you trust their suggestion. It is their way of talking to you, their efforts to make you understand your problem and how best you can take care of yourself. This is absolutely impossible when you are seeking online assistance.
4. Emergency : You might feel like don’t need an urgent assistance but the condition could be worse than you assume it to be. The doctor at helpdesk could also fail to register if your fever is a simple viral fever or a flu that could be going viral in your particular region.
Conclusion :Online medical assistance does have pros and cons but only when people start using the service for real, there could be better analysis of their efficiency. Meanwhile, this could always be used for taking second opinion and more tips on how to make your lifestyle better according to your health conditions. In case of emergency or when you feel that your condition could get worse, it is always advisable that you see a doctor in person.
In times to come, this service could go ahead to being used by many but for now, there is very little usage of this service. People would rather read up articles on medical websites than wait for a doctor to be online and give prompt reply to your queries.
