How The Coronavirus Has Changed Medical Treatment
There is no doubt that the Coronavirus has drastically changed the way society operates and how the health sector was forced to quickly shift. People are working from home, including doctors and nurses. Interestingly enough, statistics are showing that most ER and doctor visits are not as necessary as people would have believed. How has the Coronavirus changed the way medical treatment is practiced? Here are some ways the pandemic has impacted the way patients and medical professionals interact.
#1: Addiction Treatment Online
The fight against addiction has not ended just because a pandemic started. Many recovering addicts have had to face a new way to counter their addictions by participating in addiction treatment online. Due to social distancing advisories, many addiction recovery meetings have been put on hold, and these specialists and doctors are having to conduct their therapy and group sessions online. Online conferences are becoming every day normal for medical professionals to help those battling addiction and even diagnosing the addiction while coming up with a treatment plan. Medical treatment is transforming in a way that has never been thought of before, addicts are able to recover in their homes while receiving adequate healthcare.
This could save many more lives because people are able to see a doctor that they may have not had access to before. Many people cannot afford addiction recovery treatments, because most involve seeing many different specialists that may or may not be covered by their insurance. With online care, doctors are able to see patients for a lower cost to the patient because they are not required to run tests or physically be in the office. Another reason why online addiction treatment is groundbreaking is that it gives the option for people to get help anonymously. Without the feeling of judgment and isolation, they may have felt walking into a rehabilitation center.
#2: Telemedicine
Telemedicine is new way doctors are able to see, diagnose, and send prescriptions to a patient within minutes. For multiple reasons, this is saving millions of peoples lives during the Coronavirus. People who are otherwise healthy, and need to see their primary doctor can do it from the comfort of their couch. During the pandemic, health professionals have advised limiting the time people spend outside of their homes unless absolutely necessary. For many people, they visit their primary doctors for wellness checks and getting refills for the medications they take. Under these unprecedented times, these annual checkups may be considered nonessential, however, people still need their medications.
This is where telemedicine comes in handy, and keeps people at home while they are still receiving all their medical needs. Telemedicine has also prevented the passing of coronavirus from person to person by allowing screening through video calls. People who believe they might have contracted the coronavirus, are able to get on a video call with a medical professional to help them conclude if they need to be tested or if something else is going on.
Telemedicine Georgia will connect a person with a licensed professional and give them the opportunity to explain their symptoms to a doctor or nurse and locate a testing site within their area. These doctors are also able to call the testing center to give the patients information and diagnostic chart so that when the patient arrives they will be treated promptly.
People staying home and being able to speak to doctors through video call has changed the way medical treatment will be possibly forever. Without sick people sitting in waiting rooms and contaminating other patients and medical staff, the flu and other illnesses may drop significantly. Tele-doctors are able to treat patients without risking their own lives or contracting these illnesses themselves. More people are able to be examined because of how quickly these video appointments last. When people are able to call and see a doctor the same day they are less likely to wait around and be out and about without knowing their diagnosis.
For most individuals, having a busy schedule can render their availability to see their doctor. People often push doctor visits off because they deem it a hassle to block out time in their busy lives to see a doctor. With Telehealth, individuals are able to call, explain their symptoms, get a diagnosis, and medication sent to their pharmacy within 30 minutes. Technology like this is changing the way doctors will be able to see patients, and also the number of patients they are able to see in a day.
How Might the Coronavirus Permanently Change Medical Treatment
The Coronavirus has permanently changed the way both doctors and patients will administer and receive medical treatment. People vary wary of going anywhere much less a hospital where people who have been diagnosed with this deadly respiratory illness. What happens when people would rather suffer than see a doctor because they are afraid to further expose themself to germs and viruses that they cannot see?
Doctors are having to move quickly while preventing the spread of the coronavirus. There is little time they are able to relax because of the rate and ease this virus spreads. Sociologists and Psychiatrists are trying to calculate how this is permanently changing the way society deems the outside world “safe”. Even with vaccination, it is assumed that people will be wary for years to come.
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