The Advantages of Telehealth in Dermatology
Advances in communication technology offer access to your doctor with a level of acceptance never previously imagined. The widespread use of laptops and desktop computers by 74 percent of Americans makes access to telemedicine available. Even a greater number of Americans own a smartphone (81 percent), increasing the opportunity to try telemedicine. The delivery of clinical services remotely lets you speak directly to a health care professional without personal contact that creates risk in the COVID-19 environment.
U.S. News reports a rise in private health care claims that reveal a surge in teleconferencing during the pandemic. Americans in every area of the country dramatically increased the use of telehealth medicine, avoiding potentially severe threats to their health. With safe access to medical professionals, you can enjoy these eight benefits.
Avoiding the Waiting Room
The daily reports of coronavirus create awareness of a threat to your health, and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommends avoiding contact with others. Before telemedicine became possible with technology, you had little choice other than waiting for a doctor to see you. By staying at home and away from anyone who may have the virus, you can help prevent contagion and follow CDC guidelines to avoid exposure to disease.
Tracking Progress from a Distance
As a dermatology patient, you have an advantage that others may not experience. Chronic skin conditions show the progress that treatment provides, and the visibility offers essential information for regularly scheduled appointments or flareups that may occur. By avoiding the temptation to skip an appointment, you can achieve the same benefit as seeing your doctor in person. An online visit provides a personal interaction that seems as confidential and attentive as it can get.
Working from Home
Only a small percentage of Americans can work from home, but the idea of leaving a safe and protected environment for a doctor’s appointment seems unimaginable during the pandemic. With the increase in the demands on your time that almost everyone experiences in a health crisis, it becomes even more essential to take preventive measures. A visit with a doctor online can provide the advice you need without any risk to your well-being.
Saving Travel Time
An appointment at a doctor’s office can consume far more time than you may think. Driving to a location may require less time than public transportation, but both conveyances occupy minutes that you can never get back. At rush hour, the likelihood of traffic jams slowing your progress increases. Also, you face obstacles that may include stopping for gas, finding a parking place and walking to the office. The return trip home wastes time as well. With an online telehealth connection, a doctor can see you at an appointed time and prevent unnecessary hassles.
Getting Prescriptions without an Office or Pharmacy Visit
A valuable benefit of working with forward-thinking physicians and pharmacies gives you access through technology and helps you protect your health. An online appointment provides a face-to-face visit with a doctor who can prescribe medications for your condition or renew them. A growing trend to shop online for groceries projects sales of more than $34 billion for 2020. Transport services that deliver from pharmacies reduce the need to pick up items in public places that the CDC recommends avoiding.
Maintaining Responsibilities at Home
Extended families provide the warmth and comfort of sharing a home with relatives of different generations, and your presence may give the peace of mind that others need. The distractions of taking family members with you to a doctor’s appointment or worrying about them in your absence can prevent you from enjoying a satisfactory experience. With a telemedical appointment, you receive the doctor’s full attention. You may find that conversations with your doctor occur even more easily than they may do in the formality of an office.
Obtaining Conveniently Available Clinical Services
The advances in communication technology put access to medical care at your fingertips. With easier appointment scheduling and shorter wait times, you can see your doctor when you need assistance on your schedule. By removing the necessity to drive to a location and manage the consequences that it may produce, you can focus on receiving the medications and treatments that enhance your lifestyle.
Considering Expert Opinion
The noted Lancet, a journal that many consider the world’s leading provider of independent medical information, cites teledermatology as a tool for reducing the wait time for office visits. Seen as an efficient step toward improving health care availability, it improves access and saves time while protecting providers and patients’ well-being.
Connecting with Derick Dermatology
A recent development in access to clinical services and teledermatology lets you receive the level of skincare that you prefer while you remain at home. Chronic skin conditions require regular care to maintain the kind of progress that a careful diagnosis and effective treatment provide. You can sustain the skin condition you work hard to achieve with convenient online access to superior medical care. While Derick Dermatology offers 14 locations in Chicagoland to serve adult and pediatric patients, an online appointment may provide you with the convenience that you prefer. We comply with CDC recommendations for our patient-facing staff to wear masks and gloves or other protective equipment, and we regularly wipe down all surfaces with disinfectant. Our dedicated specialists offer the professional and compassionate care that you deserve, and your insurance company covers your telemedicine appointments.