Telehealth Visits During the COVID-19 Pandemic: What are the Benefits?

Telehealth Visits During the COVID-19 Pandemic: What are the Benefits? Posted By:
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Never before has there been such a frenzy of media exposure about an infectious disease as there has been surrounding COVID-19. We are faced with constant updates on the epidemiology; numbers of cases, hospitalizations, and deaths locally, nationally, and worldwide; as well as signs and symptoms; and potential treatments, or lack thereof. There is so much anxiety in the public, and when people do get sick, they go into full panic mode. Many do not know where or how to seek health care.

Face-to-face medical office visits are discouraged for potential COVID-19 patients, and when they call for appointments, they are triaged. I am currently working in a drive-through COVID-19 testing site. Most patients I see in the drive through have mild to moderate illness; some have had illnesses for more than 2 weeks with the constellation of typical symptoms attributed to COVID-19. All of the patients and families have anxiety surrounding their condition.

Some of these patients may actually benefit from a face-to-face exam including a heart and lung exam, checking an oxygen saturation, temperature, etc. However, many patients have told me they are unable to find a clinician who will see them for an office visit for ongoing respiratory symptoms. To mitigate this, I suggest a telehealth visit. You can get a decent respiratory assessment in a video visit and make a determination as to whether blood work or a chest x-ray might be in ordercautioning patients to wear a mask when they leave home for essential medical visits.

Having a telehealth visit can be reassuring to patients and it limits the exposure of possibly infected patients to healthcare providers, slowing spread of the disease. Telehealth visits also preserve personal protective equipment for those who need it most. Good care is very possible in a virtual setting, and patients with upper respiratory infections and respiratory symptoms are often suitable candidates for this new and expanding use of technology.

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Filed under: Health Policy and Trends , Practice Management/Career , NPs & PAs

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