What are the Pros and Cons of Online Doctor Consultation?
03-11-2017 | Posted By: Chhavi | 12472 View(s)
Nobody wants to wait in the long queues for consulting a Doctor in this technological era. And that is the reason why online doctor consultation is so much in demand these days. The Internet has made our lives easier by offering healthcare services online. Most people want things to be done from the comfort of their home, and that is why they opt for online medical consultations. There are so many benefits of this service: it saves your time and is available 24/7. But, it cannot be denied that this service has its share of disadvantages too. Let us understand the advantages and disadvantages of consulting a Doctor online.
What Are The Pros of Online Doctor Consultation?
1. One of the most important benefits of an online medical consultation is that it saves you a lot of time and energy. When you visit a Doctor’s clinic, first you have to stand in a long queue to book your appointment, and once you have a prescription, then again you have to wait to pick up medication. When you consult a doctor online, you do not have to wait in a long queue to book the appointment and wait for your turn and hence, it saves your time.
2. Another benefit of online medical consultation is that you do not have to worry about time and location. If there is an emergency and you need to see a Doctor at midnight, then no worries! You can consult a Doctor online anytime you want because Doctors are available 24*7 for online consultation. Also, it does not matter whether you are at home, office or vacation, you can seek medical attention from anywhere, and that too, in no time.
3. Many people feel shy when they have to talk to a Doctor face to face. For example, many women are scared of physical diagnosis while visiting a Gynecologist. When you consult a Doctor online, there is no physical examination, and so you do not feel embarrass about anything and talk confidently with the Doctor
4. Another advantage of online medical consultation is that you can choose from a wide range of doctors. The respective websites personally verify the doctors, and in case you just want to confirm the diagnosis of your doctor you have visited previously, you can always have a second opinion about your illness with an online consultation.
What Are The Cons of Online Doctor Consultation?
1. One of the disadvantages of online medical consultation is that the Doctor is not able to diagnose the patient physically. Doctors physically examine the patient to make a diagnosis. Some people get embarrassed by this, but physical examination helps Doctors make an accurate diagnosis. The Doctor cannot do the physical examination in the online consultation, and so it can result in an inaccurate diagnosis.
2. Sometimes, patients are not able to tell the problems clearly to the Doctor. There can be a problem of miscommunication where the patient might not be able to give the accurate details of the symptoms as he or she is not aware of them. This can make it difficult for the doctor to make a proper diagnosis.
3. With online consultation, it is difficult to evaluate the quality of doctors. Of course, websites offer expert doctors for online consultation, but the quality of the doctors cannot be judged properly. And that is because the websites provide limited options to evaluate the quality of care and associations of providers. You cannot know the past record of the doctors, and so it becomes a challenge to find the best doctor for consultation.
4. Online medical consultation has opened a new door for drug abusers. There are thousands of con websites out there that perform scam operations and target on selling cheap prescription medications online. Many websites sell prescriptions drugs unethically which is another disadvantage of opting for online medical consultation.
So, every coin has two sides. There is no doubt that online doctor consultation has made our lives easy, but it is risky too. The best thing you can do is read the reviews and ratings of the websites and do a thorough background check of the website before going for an online consultation. Choose a site that is trustworthy and offers quality healthcare and assurance of security. To find the best Doctors online, click here.
