What can I expect at a telehealth doctor’s visit during the coronavirus pandemic?
During the COVID-19 pandemic maintaining social distance is one of the recommended ways to prevent the spread of the virus. Telehealth is a way that you can see your medical provider while maintaining social distance. Telehealth is a safe, convenient, and effective way to continue seeing your doctor while keeping the risk of COVID-19 exposure low. Most medical centers and clinics that are offering telehealth are notifying their patients that this is available.
What to Expect
1. Your child will still have an appointment time
• Log into your patient portal 5 to 10 minutes before the appointment. Once you are logged in your physician will know you are ready for the visit.
• Consider writing down your questions before the appointment that you want answered during your telehealth visit.
2. You will still get a face to face visit with your physician
• Just because there is a physical screen between you and your doctor doesn’t mean you can’t feel connected and understood.
3. There may be technical glitches, low light, and different sounds
• Some providers are doing telehealth from home, be patient with them and the telehealth system.
4. In many cases, there are some things about the exam that will probably be different
• The entire exam will be by observation. However, a doctor can learn many things about a patient through observation and discussion. For example, as a neurologist, I can still assess language, test for facial symmetry (whether both sides of a person’s face are the same), motor movement, and your child’s gait (how your child walks).
5. Many things will be the same as an office visit
• Most importantly, medical advice, patient education, testing decisions and treatment advice will still be given.
This post was written in the Spring of 2020. Please follow your local guidelines and advice from family health care providers for appropriate, current coronavirus safety measures.
