Access to health is one of the basic rights of human beings. In the modern world where technology has taken over almost every aspect of life and made a lot of things easier in a man’s life, it has also helped in making health approachable for the common people.
Face-to-face consultations have their own significance but in most of the remote and less developed parts of the world, where resides world’s maximum population, access to health facilities is near to nonexistent. With the advancement in technology especially communication technology, scientists did multiple experiments and research to know the efficacy of telemedicine and they found really encouraging results.
Telemedicine, as the name indicates, is the method of treating patients from a distance through telecommunication. Telemedicine includes phone consultations, video consultations, and online consultations.
Advantages of telemedicine
Telephone and video consultations are basically a part of the healthcare system and the primary level where basic consultation and counseling of the patient carry more importance than the actual treatment. It is more helpful in decreasing the burden of filtering outpatient departments at a tertiary level. Studies have shown that telemedicine is equally effective in raising awareness and making health care accessible for remotely residing people as is the face-to-face consultation.
Management of many acute conditions is possible through phone consultations and in cases of emergencies, triage and timely referral have saved many lives. But the most important role telemedicine has been playing in prevention before cure. As said earlier, patients can be counseled, and a lot of diseases and injuries can be prevented before they even arise.
Phone consultation form
Documentation is one of the building blocks of the healthcare system at any level. They say healthcare not documented is not the care provided. So, it makes it more important that a phone consultation is properly documented. Documentation is the only means and only evidence that certain patient has been examined and referred to a proper clinic. If not done properly, the concept of telemedicine fails because there is no record of the patient or limited follow-up.
How a phone consultation form is filled?
The phone consultation form is filled out by the doctor who is attending to the patient on call. Very careful and proper documentation is required because it is important for the health care system data as well as for research and follows up purposes.
Confirming a patient’s identity during documentation is a very important step. Be very careful when you are filling the form and it is ideal if you fill the form while examining and try to maintain eye contact during the consultation. Leaving the form to be filled at the end of consultations raises much confusion and there are high chances of mixing signs, symptoms, findings, and treatment of one patient with another.
Proper address of the patient is noted down for follow-up is an important pillar in health-providing systems. After that, start taking a history of presenting complaints, try to note down vitals or systemic examination, write down the management plan at the end, and document properly.
