How Does Teleconsultation Work

With the intersection of modern technology and medicines, we now have a world where with a few clicks you can research symptoms and conditions, you can have medicines delivered to your door and you can have lab technicians take the required tests right from your own home. And with teleconsultation services now, it is possible to connect with a doctor to discuss your diagnosis and treatment from the comfort of your own home. Telemedicine or teleconsultation refers to the numerous ways in which you can connect with a doctor using technology without having to be in the same room or vicinity as the doctor. Teleconsultation can be through phone calls, video calls, emails, and text messages. Teleconsultation has made healthcare extremely convenient and comfortable for patients.

Who Can Benefit from Teleconsultation?  

Teleconsultation is useful for anyone who is not in the position to, or does not want to go visit a hospital or doctor’s clinic in person. Teleconsultation can also be useful for someone who is living in a rural or remote area or far from the doctor’s office, for someone who has limited mobility, time, or access to transportation service or for someone who needs medical care and guidance when they are away from home. Following are few instances of when teleconsultation can be useful for patients:

• If you are experiencing common medical problems such as headache, sore throat, back pain, digestive issues and if you need diagnosis and medication for the same.
• If you need post treatment check-ups or follow up appointments for chronic care.
• If you need faster refill of medicines or short-term medical prescriptions.
• If the patient is unable to leave the house because of their health or because of bad weather conditions.
• If you need to consult a doctor during holidays, weekends or at odd hours during the night. 
• If you want to enquire about home treatments. 

Teleconsultation can also be useful if you just want to share home readings of blood pressure or blood sugar levels with the doctor, or if you are scheduling a first time consultation or follow up treatments. Telemedicine is also a handy medium if you need to discuss your test or lab result with the doctor remotely. 

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How Does Teleconsultation Work?

To use teleconsultation services or to figure out how to consult GP online, all you need is internet and a smartphone or laptop/computer. If you have access to these, you can use teleconsultation services through the following two ways: 

1. Through Virtual Appointments – Some doctors offer teleconsultation through virtual appointments, wherein you can consult a doctor through a phone call or video call. You can get the details of accessing teleconsultation services through a clinic’s or hospital’s website. From the website, you can schedule an appointment with a doctor at a time that works for you. You will then receive a link or phone number through which you can reach out to the doctor at the pre-decided time. The doctor will join you for the appointment on the phone or video call, wherein you can discuss your health concerns and symptoms with the doctor. 

2. Through A Patient Portal – A patient portal allows you to send and receive emails from doctors and nurses. It is basically a secure website that allows you to have 24-hour access to personal health related information using a secure username and password. You can use this to ask for prescription refills, set up appointments and so on. Through a patient portal, it is also possible to share your lab or imaging test results with the doctor to receive medical guidance and inputs from the doctor.

How Can You Ensure That Your Teleconsultation Goes Smoothly?

One of the things that you can do to ensure that your teleconsultation appointment goes smoothly is to try using the technology or platform beforehand. It can help if you take a trial run of the platform, app or software that you will use during the appointment ahead of time. 

Along with this, you need to make sure that your internet connectivity is good. Having unsteady WiFi connectivity can lead to miscommunication wherein the doctor or you may not be able to hear what is being correctly. Before your appointment, make sure your phone or laptop is charged and check if your WiFi connection is stable and is working well. If there are any corners of the house where your WiFi signal is stronger and better, you can choose to take your appointment from there. 

Over and above this, you should also make sure that you are choosing a quiet and comfortable place in your home for your appointment. Being at home and around family members during a doctor’s appointment can lead to distractions, and thus it is important to choose a spot in the house that is quiet and private. It is also advisable to let other family members know about your scheduled appointment so that there’s no disturbance or distraction during your teleconsultation. 

Before the appointment, you can also make a note of all the things that you want to discuss with the doctor or any questions that you might want to ask. This is to make sure that you use the scheduled appointment time with the doctor most effectively and so that you do not miss out discussing or asking anything important. It can help to right down your symptoms or note down the names of medicines you’ve taken in the past or any case history that you might want to share with the doctor.

What Are the Benefits of Teleconsultation?

Once you figure out how to find a GP online and are able to schedule an appointment with a doctor, you will be able to enjoy the numerous benefits of teleconsultation services going ahead. Here are some of them: 

• Most Convenient 

Visiting a doctor at a hospital or clinic can often take up to a couple of hours since it would involve commuting to the doctor’s office, followed by spending more time in the waiting room for your appointment and then having to drive back home in traffic. A visit to a doctor may require you to take a couple of hours from work or you might need to find someone to look after the children or elderly family members while you’re away. However, with telemedicine, none of these things are a concern. Through teleconsultation, you can speak to a doctor from your home or office or any other place that’s convenient for you. A doctor can diagnose you right from where you are and you can get a prescription that you can use to get medicines immediately from a local pharmacy close by. 

• Saves Money & Time 

Going to the hospital or clinic for an appointment takes up a lot more time and money than a teleconsultation. The cost of teleconsultation is much lesser and offers the same expertise of a doctor that an in-person appointment would. Especially if a patient has a chronic illness or is elderly, going to the hospital can exponentially increase costs and can require a lot of extra time. With teleconsultation, you can avoid this by speaking to a doctor over a phone or video call. Getting a renewed prescription through teleconsultation is very easy and can help you save time and money.

How To Consult a GP Online | First Response Healthcare

If you are confused about how to consult a GP online or about how to find a doctor for teleconsultation, First Response Healthcare (FRH) can end all your queries and concerns. FRH is one of the leading home healthcare companies in Dubai that offers a range of medical care services, including the service of teleconsultation with doctors. FRH has received the Gold Seal of Approval from Joint Commission International Standards for its high quality services in home healthcare. 

FRH has a team of DHA-licensed and highly experienced and trained doctors who are available for teleconsultation 24*7. Our doctors work in shifts and they offer their services throughout the year, even on weekends and public holidays. Our team of doctors can provide you with diagnosis and treatment for a wide range of conditions right from fever, cold, migraines and allergic reactions to respiratory conditions, chronic diseases, gastrointestinal illnesses, skin problems among several others. After booking a teleconsultation appointment with one of our doctors, you can speak to them on an audio call or video call from the comfort of your home. 

How Can You Book a Teleconsultation Appointment Through FRH? 

• To schedule a teleconsultation appointment with a doctor, you can call on 0505050387 or 800DIALDOC. 
• You can also book a doctor’s appointment by clicking on: https://firstresponse.okadoc.com/
• From our team of internationally trained doctors, you can choose a doctor of your preference and we will schedule an appointment with them for you. 
• We will schedule your appointment with the doctor at a time and date that suits you best. 
• Post this all you need to do is log into your account at the scheduled time for your appointment. 

Why Should You Choose FRH for Teleconsultation in Dubai? 

• We offer free follow-up consultation for the next 7 days after your appointment.
• Our doctors ensure that the appointment is through HD quality video consultation.
• We make sure that your calls and chats with us are end to end encrypted. 
• You can send any messages, pictures, or reports to the doctor and all of this will remain confidential. 
• The doctor will send you a prescription after the teleconsultation appointment ends.
• The duration of the consultation is approximately 30 minutes.
• If need be, we will refer complex cases or emergency patients for face consultation or emergency services.
• When required, we will advise the patient on further assessment and treatment and make referrals for the same.
• We offer teleconsultation services in both English & Arabic. 

To book a teleconsultation appointment, all you need to do is call on 0505050387 or 800DIALDOC. You can also book an appointment online by visiting https://firstresponsehealthcare.com/ae/dubai