Several states in the USA like Nevada, Alaska, Colorado, South Carolina and others have a rapidly aging population.

Naturally, older individuals require more healthcare support but the expected repeal of the Affordable Care Act and growing premiums have forced people to look to other channels for healthcare services.

As a cheaper alternative, many people are turning to telemedicine. Telemedicine refers to the remote treatment or diagnosis of an ill individual via telecommunication technology (phone and online consultations).

If you’ve ever consulted an online doctor, you’re partaking in telemedicine. There are many online platforms that allow patients to connect with doctors for free or paid consultations but are these consultations as effective as in-person consultations? Can a doctor really provide a proper diagnosis on the phone or over the internet?

Effectiveness Of Online Doctor Consultations

A study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine found that for common illnesses, consulting an online doctor was just as effective as visiting a doctor.

This specific study focused on patients suffering from sinus issues and bladder infections. There wasn’t much of a difference between patients that opted for online consultations and those that visited clinics. With that being said, those that had online consultations had a greater probability of being prescribed antibiotics.

The Cost Of Online Doctor Consultations

Virtuwell has established itself as one of the most trusted platforms for online healthcare services. The online clinic offers 24h services that include consultations and treatments by qualified doctors. So far, the online clinic has successfully treated over 80,000 cases of UTI!

Every day the online clinic treats patients experiencing flu, yeast infections, deer tick bites and other routine illnesses at the fraction of the cost a physical clinic.

A study of 40,000 Virtuwell cases found that on average, the online clinic helped patients save $88 per consultation.

Consultations Through Video Conferencing

Many doctors are still apprehensive about diagnosing sick individuals over the internet without seeing them.

To counter this problem, some online platforms offer video conferencing services that allow doctors to get a closer look at patients and give them a better indication of what they may be suffering from. Video conferencing has the “personal touch” that doctors are looking for when examining a patient.

Time and again studies have shown that online doctor consultations cost sufficiently less and are just as effective as clinic visitations. With online clinics, healthcare is more accessible and affordable.

For more information on top social network for healthcare services and online clinics, become a member of Healthguv. Healthguv is a medical social media site with thousands of daily visitors that are actively seeking services of licensed healthcare practitioners.  

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