The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way we see our doctor both for episodic and regular annual checkups. While, physical doctor’s offices were forced to rethink how waiting rooms are run, for a telemedicine platform like Syncremedies, we saw a huge surge in more people being comfortable with the online experience. What helped was our e-experienced doctors that were ready to dive in and help our new patients, virtually.
According to a study by Yosi Health, almost half of respondents (46 percent) said that before the pandemic, the worst part about the doctor’s office was sitting in the waiting room for long periods of time.
The traditional waiting room experience often involves patients sitting with other patients, filling out forms on clipboards etc. But now those things are slowly going away, Hari Prasad, health tech expert and CEO of Yosi health said.
“We are seeing an improvement to the digital experience of that patient as they start demanding more of these conveniences as a consumer,” he said.
Seamless transition between virtual and in-person and visa-versa
Yosi’s study showed that about 60 percent of respondents would be willing to go back to in-person visits and hope to.
Experts envision a merge of technology with in-person visits. They anticipate people will be more willing to filling out forms and providing insurance information, ID cards, and credit card information online before they arrive.
CERTAIN POPULATION NEEDS ASSISTANCE WITH DIGITAL DEVICES
While healthcare professionals moving toward enabling patients to use personal devices, such as a phone or computer to cut down on waiting times, older patients and those who do not have access to devices may need other options.
Elderly patients are also more likely comfortable using an iPad, but we believe that demographic will evolve over time with how they adapt to technology.
With Syncremedies easy teleconsultations, we have seen considerably success in getting this population easy appointments and consultations.