In the early 21st century, the idea of a globally connected world was finally realized. The advent of the internet brought about a vast technological tsunami, wiping the way businesses operate away and setting the stage for a new, ever-changing platform on which to build a core foundation for future corporations. To buy household goods, you used to have to go to your local grocery store, now you can do it from your couch, online.
You used to have to spend hours at a dealership buying a car, now you can sign on a new vehicle online and have it delivered the very next day to your home. You can read entire libraries worth of books and content online without ever stepping outside your home. So how has this new technological highway streamlined medical care? The answer is telemedicine.
Googling Your Symptoms
Telemedicine is essentially a system or service that operates through the internet to bring you medical supplies, care, medication, and consultations from the comfort of your own home. What’s special about this is that medical care is not something that is easily obtained, and many have questions on the effectiveness of medical care received online. There is often a stigma surrounding “Googling your symptoms” when you’re sick, as most people often misdiagnose themselves based on information they read in a “worst-case scenario”.
The reality is this, there is nothing wrong with seeking medical advice online. The issue lies with the fact that it’s hard to ensure the accuracy of medical advice online when you cannot physically see the doctor that’s providing it. Does it also pose the question, is the doctor even licensed to treat you? How is it regulated? What if the care you receive is not the right kind, is that now medical malpractice? This is where things start to get tricky.
Make Sure the Website Has Real Doctors
Typically speaking, most people who claim to be doctors online will have their credentials listed somewhere on the website hosting them. As an example, DoctorSpring.com lists all the credentials for the doctor assigned to your condition on the website. Other websites have links to the Medical Board website that certified them. Any website that claims to have real doctors, that doesn’t verify the credentials is as useless as going to a fake clinic. As always, when it comes to your health, do your research.
Doctors Can Now Diagnose Patients Online
Find out who your doctor is, find out their patient approval rating, and read reviews. While the internet makes it easier to get diagnosed and get help, overall it is generally more difficult to give an accurate diagnosis. As such, doctors who diagnose patients online typically stick to less life-threatening diagnoses (i.e. earache, headaches, broken bones, flu, colds, std’s, ED, etc). Any potentially life-threatening symptoms should usually be taken up with a local doctor that specializes in that specific field.
20 Years of Telemedicine Experience
The key takeaway here is this: the world of medicine is changing. Telemedicine is seeing a huge surge in activity and will soon surpass in-person medical consultations in the next few years. Seeing a doctor will be as easy as ordering something off Amazon. Especially with new technologies like video and audio chat, diagnosing a patient is becoming easier and easier. Overall, we here at Secure Medical have been the leaders in telemedicine. With nearly 20 years of telemedicine experience, we are no stranger to the necessity of proper medical care and are more than capable of providing easy, cost-effective solutions for anything from ED to STD’s, to hair loss medication. Taking your health into your own hands has never been easier.
