Consulting a doctor online? Remember to follow these steps

Consulting a doctor online?

Owing to the COVID crisis, visiting doctors, hospitals or scheduling a surgery has gotten a little worrisome. To reduce the need for people to physically visit hospitals, many doctors and medical facilities are making use of telephonic consultations and virtual visitations to get in touch with their patients.
 
Things to remember with a virtual doctor consultation

However, since we are all used to physically going to the doctor's clinics and let them examine us, online consultations can be a little tricky. Doctors also feel that confused patients are thronging in emergency rooms and clinics because they are not sure about tele-consultations.

To clear your doubts, we tell you the things one needs to keep handy before a doctor's visit:
 
Keep necessary documents and old prescriptions handy

Just as you would in a normal pre-COVID visit, remember to keep all documents, old medical history and test report handy. Respect the doctor's time and make use of the appointment. Knowing about any chronic problems, any prior health problems will help the doctor prescribe medications properly.
 
Talk about all your doubts in the session.

Right now, we don't really know when will it be really safe to go to social events or visit a healthcare facility. Treat your virtual appointment as a regular visit and clarify all your doubts- the dosage, the condition, symptoms and everything you need to know about the same.
 
Ask for a prescription

A prescription or a written doctor's notes will further confirm your doubts. Do not self-prescribe and if a doctor orders you to undergo testing, abide by them. Prescribed medicines also work better in getting the necessary treatment before consulting the doctor the next time.
 
Be prepared for a virtual physical checkup

Remember, the doctor knows better about your possible ailment. Even if you are sitting miles away, the doctor, with his or her expertise will be able to find out any spots, lumps or painful triggers. For that, you need to follow proper instructions and do as the doctor says. Tell them about how the pain started, the intensity for better assessment.
 
Maintain discipline

While virtual consultations can help in times like this, remember that a health emergency is nonetheless an emergency. Do not delay any urgent treatment. Call your doctor or healthcare professional before rushing to emergency care. Follow guidelines, practice precautions before going to the hospital.

When to rush?

While virtual consultations can help in times like this, remember that a health emergency is nonetheless an emergency. Do not delay any urgent treatment. Call your doctor or healthcare professional before rushing to emergency care. Follow guidelines, practice precautions before going to the hospital.

This is only for your information, kindly take the advice of your doctor for medicines, exercises and so on.     

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Health emergencies that should not be put on hold due to COVID 19

Fear of getting infected with the novel coronavirus and the need for quarantine should not stop people from seeking medical help for non-COVID 19 related chronic and acute health emergencies. 

In the last two-three weeks, there have been cases reported where patients needing immediate medical attention very late to the emergency due to the fear of COVID 19. This should definitely not happen, says Dr Anupam Sibal, Group Medical Director, Apollo Hospital. 

Every minute you delay, the likelihood of having a worse outcome increases. For example, the sooner a person with heart emergency reports to the hospital, faster the procedure can be done. Any delay can make a difference of life and death. 

We talked to Dr Anupam Sibal from Apollo Hospital to know more about the type of health emergencies that should not be ignored and how people can find the best hospitals for their treatment.

The emergency can be divided into two categories - chronic and acute. Chronic conditions include diabetes, hypertension, kidney disease and thalassemia. Acute conditions include paralysis, weakness, chest pain, bleeding, loss of consciousness and accident. All these conditions need immediate attention and cannot be ignored, says Dr Sibal

Diabetes and high blood stress
If someone has uncontrolled diabetes, which has been going up and down, the person needs rapid assessment and treatment. Talking about blood pressure, if someone has soaring high BP, one must consult a doctor immediately, as uncontrolled high BP can lead to many other serious health issues.

Dialysis and chemotherapy
A person on dialysis needs to get his dialysis done in the same way he did earlier. Not doing so can deteriorate the condition of the person. And the same is applied for patients who are on chemotherapy or a child who is thalassemic.

Acute conditions
Paralysis
If someone develops paralysis on one side of the body or face, the person needs to be rushed to the hospital immediately.

Chest pain
Acute chest pain can be anything from a heart attack, angina or an emergency angioplasty.

How people can be fear-free?
People first need to talk to their doctors about what all systems they are experiencing. It is important to ask your doctor where COVID 19 patients are being treated in that hospital and if rules of social distancing can be safely maintained on your visit.

If your doctor is not available, you can try contacting another doctor but any kind of health emergency should not be ignored, adds Dr Sibal.

 

This is only for your information, kindly take the advice of your doctor for medicines, exercises and so on.     

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Here’s What You Can Do to Protect High-Risk Family Members During the COVID-19 Outbreak

COVID-19 doesn’t treat everyone the same. For most—about 80 percent of people, according to some research—coronavirus shows up as mild symptoms, like fever, cough, and shortness of breath. For others, specifically those in high-risk groups like older adults or those with chronic illnesses like diabetes and lung disease, the virus can strike harder and be more likely to lead to severe illness.

Because COVID-19 disproportionately affects the high-risk community, the role of caregivers is especially important and complicated right now. While it's important for everyone, especially caregivers, to continue following the precautionary measures recommended by the World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention—like frequently washing your hands for 20 seconds at a time and keeping common surfaces clean—one of the most important measures for high-risk individuals and those caring for them is practicing as much social distancing as possible. "Public space is where the risk [of exposure and infection] is going to be the highest," Ronan Factora, MD, an internal medicine and geriatrics specialist at Cleveland Clinic, tells Health.

In addition to those preventive measures, those who are currently caring for high-risk individuals should be aware of additional steps to further protect themselves and those in their care during the coronavirus outbreak. Here, three extra steps all caregivers should take while looking after someone with a higher risk of serious illness from COVID-19.

1. Make a contingency plan
If you’re a caregiver it's important to track who (if anyone) knows about your responsibilities. “A lot of times that one [high-risk] family member relies on that caregiver to do everything,” says Dr. Factora. Many times, a single caregiver may be in charge of picking up and dispensing their medications, taking them to doctor’s appointments, and doing their grocery shopping.

If you provide that level of care to a high-risk individual, it’s important to consider what would happen if you yourself became sick with COVID-19 and weren't allowed to come into contact with the person your'e caring for. You might want to consider giving someone else a list of your loved one’s medicine routine, for example, in case you aren’t able to oversee it yourself before this pandemic is over. “That contingency plan may involve having other family members take [on] that responsibility,” says Dr. Factora, in an effort to protect and care for that high-risk individual.

2. Resist the urge to visit loved ones in nursing homes and other settings

It might be your first instinct to check on your loved one in-person, but you really need to think twice about giving into that temptation right now, explains Dr. Factora— especially if your loved one lives in an assisted living facility. Remember, you may be able to spread COVID-19 without showing symptoms of the virus. If you visit a nursing home while carrying the virus, you could potentially infect dozens of elderly people who are most at-risk for dying from the virus.

As difficult as it might be to stay separated from a loved one in a nursing home, it's important to remember that staff members are caring for them. “Their meals are prepared; they have assistance," says Dr. Factora. "Avoid exposure if it’s unnecessary."

If the person you care for lives outside of a nursing home, be especially cautious when you visit them. If you’re in charge of getting their groceries, consider leaving those groceries by their front door instead of going into their home, which increases your risk of infecting them, especially if you’ve recently been in a public space. Another precaution to take is avoiding letting children visit the elderly. “Family members want to be with each other, but this is a time to exercise more caution from that standpoint,” says Dr. Factora. Consider ways you can keep in touch with your loved ones virtually, like through phone calls or FaceTime sessions.

3. Don’t forget about other health conditions
In the frenzy that has become the COVID-19 pandemic, it might be easy to overlook other health conditions, or the possibility of other health emergencies. While it’s important to monitor your loved ones if they start exhibiting symptoms of coronavirus, such as a high temperature, don’t forget to monitor symptoms of other health conditions they have or are prone to.

"Make sure that persons health is in good shape," says Dr. Factora. That means keeping an eye on any chronic illnesses they may have, and staying in close virtual contact via phone or video chat to make sure they're not feeling any symptoms that may signal the need of emergency medical assistance.

The information in this story is accurate as of press time. However, as the situation surrounding COVID-19 continues to evolve, it's possible that some data have changed since publication. While Health is trying to keep our stories as up-to-date as possible, we also encourage readers to stay informed on news and recommendations for their own communities by using the CDC, WHO, and their local public health department as resources.

This is only for your information, kindly take the advice of your doctor for medicines, exercises and so on.     

https://gscrochetdesigns.blogspot.com. one can see my crochet creations  
https://gseasyrecipes.blogspot.com. feel free to view for easy, simple and healthy recipes    
https://kneereplacement-stickclub.blogspot.com. for info on knee replacement