Write your reflections from the classmate’s post by selecting an idea from the reading, describing your thoughts and feelings about it and why you agree.

                                                                CLASSMATE’S POST

As noted in lecture one for the week, virtual physicians are becoming more common. Due to not being face to face, many critics have argued that the physician cannot properly diagnose as they do not have patient vitals (heart rate, O2 rates, blood pressure, temp, etc.). In your initial post, discuss whether you agree with the critics in their assessment and why. 

I see the positives and negatives of virtual physician visits. If a patient wants to consult with a specialist in another state, a virtual visit is more feasible. For a second opinion consultation or preoperative planning, if there are radiology imaging, laboratory results and prior history and physical notes, a virtual appointment may be valid option. Virtual visits can also be utilized to triage a patient, if the physician cannot obtain a full assessment or detects any abnormalities or issues, they can refer the patient for emergent care (Sikka et al., 2021). Regarding a doctor’s appointment when the patient is not feeling well or experiencing an issue, a more firsthand live physical appointment may be necessary to assess and diagnosis the patient. 

Covid-19 pandemic proved to have some challenges for physicians to provide in person visits. To reduce social distancing, virtual appointments was an alternative option. There are some challenges with virtual appointments, especially if the patient is unfamiliar with the software to successfully open their appointment. Without performing vital assessments at the time of the appointment, the physician may not be able to accurately treat the patient. For the example of maternity patients, they may have accessibility and feasibility to follow up with their obstetrician for routine and follow up visits. However, at any moment, they could have an issue or problem that needs immediate attention (Westwood, 2021). Due to some of these examples, I feel live, in person physician appointments are better than virtual visits. 

References

Westwood, A. R. (2021). Telehealth and maternity: Have the onset of the pandemic changed the way we utilize telemedicine forever? British Journal of Midwifery, 29(6), 352–355. https://doi.org/10.12968/bjom.2021.29.6.352 

Sikka, N., Gross, H., Joshi, A. U., Shaheen, E., Baker, M. J., Ash, A., Hollander, J. E., Cheung, D. S., Chiu, A. R., Wessel, C. B., Robinson, M., Lowry, G., & Guyette, F. X. (2021). Defining emergency telehealth. Journal of Telemedicine & Telecare, 27(7), 527–530. https://doi.org/10.1177/1357633X19891653