Face to Face Online Doctor Consultations
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The Aberdeen Royal Infirmary is conducting the latest NHS’s experiment in telemedicine — a long awaited concept of diagnosing and treating medical conditions by digital communication of video conferencing rather than face-to-face. Trial backers including Cisco say the technology called ‘telepresence’ could make the practice commonplace.
Photo Guardian Unlimited
The age-old futuristic dream of telemedicine made its first appearance in 1924, when Radio News magazine illustrated a doctor examining his patient on a radio set equipped with a screen. The University of Nebraska began experiments on medical consultations over CCTV in the 1950’s. NASA sponsored telemedicine for astronauts and Native American communities to promote the benefits of space travel in the 1960’s.
Digital communications over the past decade have generated a surge of interest, particularly in countries with scattered populations. But even when doctors accept the technology, in a small country with a complete health service it often makes more sense to visit a doctor than set up a video link.
The main centers of NHS interest are in Wales and Scotland, where telemedicine has proven useful in linking patients in remote areas to specialists. The new trial will test the use of telemedicine for a wide range of GP and A & E consultations.
Gordon Peterkin, director of the Scottish Centre for Telehealth in Aberdeen, says the NHS has been receiving a new swathe of pressures from new contracts for doctors, indicating that telemedicine’s time has come.
The telepresence technology offers a life-size high-definition image of the patient as if they were sitting directly in front of the doctor. The patient’s booth includes medical devices such as a stethoscope, blood-pressure cuff and thermometer to transmit essential information to the doctor. The system works on a standard network that can be deployed anywhere broadband is available.
Cisco is promoting the program globally under the brand name HealthPresence.
A participant in a demonstration from the Guardian said, “The experience is uncannily close to life — when talking to a doctor through the system I found myself reacting automatically to her body language, edging back when she leaned too close.
Real patients tend to agree. “It was just like a normal consultation.” says Urquhart.
But many questions need to be resolved before teleconsultations with family doctors become routine. The Aberdeen trial is to test whether teleconsultations are as effective as face-to-face.
Volunteer patients for teleconsultations at Aberdeen also receive face-to-face examinations — the doctor is actually just down the hall. There have been no differences in diagnosis in the trial of about 30 patients according to James Ferguson, an A & E consultant. The trial will require about 300 patients to get a statistically significant evaluation.
The next stage will be to place the patient booth at a “remote safe site,” likely a hospital where hands-on medical help is available and if successful, the booth could go nearly anywhere.
“We might put it in a hotel, or a police station.” Peterkin says. But self-service booths are unlikely — a trained attendant will assist patients with medical devices and point a handheld camera where needed.
Cisco isn’t saying how much hardware costs will be which will depend upon level of medical equipment and existing broadband networks.
Except in unique cases such as prisons and offshore oil installations, sustainability has been telemedicine’s largest difficulty. Setting up a pilot is one thing, but running an ongoing service is another. Even if the technology has finally arrived, it’s only one part of a much larger puzzle.
Other Technologies
The AMA states that the ever-increasing capacity of broadband networks, technology including the broadband integration of mobile phones, PDA’s and other portable devices as well as Instant Messaging, SMS and other media will impact largely on the way medical consultations will be conducted into the future.
Photo Sigalakos
Increasing numbers of GP’s and medical providers are incorporating on-line email and other forms of broadband connected consultations into their patient care.
The AMA acknowledges that a range of telecommunication systems do have a place in the delivery of health care, especially for less complex services where the doctor considers a face-to-face consultation unnecessary.
Patients have shown a general acceptance of fees in exchange for the convenience and timeliness of being able to request repeat prescriptions, seek advice on their medication or receive information on test results on-line, rather than experiencing the difficulties of attending a face-to-face appointment.
Secure online communications will also enable procedures to efficiently send medical reminders.
Some evidence indicates that doctors consider the ability to respond to patient requests online at their convenience delivers benefits in the management of their time and their face-to-face patient load.
Sources: Guardian Unlimited and AMA
Tags:bizarre consultation consultations face to face medical odd on line online science technology teleconsultations telemedicine telepresence unusual weird
Hey that’s a brilliant idea. As soon as I saw the picture, I looked for a sthethescope and voila it was there.
It can really be helpful for remote diagnosis of patient but I am not sure a small country like scotland can really benefit from this tech. It’s more usable for places like US, Brazil, India, China and Russia..
From the sounds of things, the costs could be quite high, but for those with little access to medics, it could be most beneficial.
Wow, that is pretty cool. I know for the birth of our last child, the doctor wasn’t even at the hospital most of the time. She was at her office monitoring the contractions from there. It was kind of disconcerting, but it all worked out in the end.
No doubt that would have been highly disconcerting for you Jason! Good to hear that all went well in the end. Yours is a prime example how a service like this can be beneficial from the hospital itself, at least until the doctor could arrive.
My patients really appreciate the occasional online consultation. In addition to saving doctors, patients and insurers time and money, it allows me to follow up with patients and maintain their health. My account from http://onlineconsultation.com allows me to charge my patients a small out of pocket fee for the consultations I provide through my website.
That’s great to hear you’re doing this, Doc. It’s an excellent means for people to get some assistance for things that aren’t life-threatening when time or area a person lives in makes it difficult to get in to see a doctor.
I feel more safe for my health and my familly healh knowing that in the future we will have that kind of services. I would like to use one of the online consultation programs because I live in an area where doesn’t always exists acces to the medical services.
You’re the perfect example as to why these kinds of services are much needed, Jane.
@Online Doctor -
Wow I never thought of this, this is a really great service that more doctors should offer. Its much better then going to the doctors office and spending large amounts of money for the doctor to tell you its just a common cold.
For the OP this is a really good idea it saves the doctors and patients time if they are sick. I hope this starts becoming implemented in more hospitals.
My son uses violence and crying as a form of communication. He still does not sleep through the night and when he does awaken it is screaming and crying. He just turned one is this normal and should I have anything to worry about?
That’s something you would need to ask your doctor about, Tanika. There are no doctors at this site.
In India, expert doctors are reluctant to work in village areas and remote areas. In such cases this service can offer a middle ground. You can stay in cities and at the same time treat patients from villages.
Anyways in modern practise most of the doctors prescribe tests before any diagnosis!
This is exactly the kind of purpose that it’s designed for, remote areas.
Tanika – if you have questions or need medical information etc., feel free to request an online doctor consultation. Not all inquiries are answered but you have nothing to loose because making a request is free.
Chikungunya Expert – Deborah is right on. I attend meetings at the Center for Telehealth & E-Health Law (CTEL) and more than ever before there we are seeing loosening regulatory restrictions which prevented many doctors from providing services remotely in the past.
Great to hear that you are involved with this form of service
It’s great to see all these new services that will help people being introduced, and I’m sure that in time, they will become affordable for most people.
These technologies actually drive down the cost for everyone. When it’s appropriate to have an online consultation, the patient doesn’t need to take off from work and pays lower fees for a consultation over the internet. The doctor saves money on overhead and can focus office time for sicker patients etc. The insurance company saves money as well because online consultations would be cheaper to cover.
This delivery really helpful for the people for getting online consultation for patients to fix online appointment with doctors and makes them happy with spending small amount of money.
This article helps patient and doctors to maintain good relationship and makes us to go through it. It allows online doctor consultation without wasting time visiting doctor waiting for appointment.