Patient-centric Telemedicine: reviews drive informed care

Oct 26,2023

When the COVID-19 pandemic tightened its grip on the country, going out for anything, including any exigencies, seemed like a daunting task. Hospitals were overflowing with patients, hospitals beds not available and doctors were struggling to deal with the sudden deluge. At that point, telemedicine seemed like a godsend as patients were able to consult a registered medical practitioner (RMP) without taking any undue risks. It was ensuring patient safety, quality of care and also safety of the RMPs.

By June 2021, the government’s telemedicine platform, eSanjeevani, had provided over 60 lakh consultations, with over 1,600 doctors aiding over 40,000 patients a day. This shows that the concept of remote treatment gained traction as patients and doctors adapted to the new normal.

While telemedicine continues to flourish, many have cast aspersions about it and are setting guardrails that go against the entire premise of healthcare being patient centric. In a realm where safety and efficacy are paramount, we need to find solutions through which quality healthcare is assured and quality standards are comprised with patients at the center of it all.

Telemedicine platforms ensure that the credentials of every doctor, including their area of expertise, years of experience, and clinical background are transparently shared in a credible manner, empowering patients to make an informed choice based on sound process and information. Similarly, patient reviews and feedback have become integral to healthcare decision-making as patients seek the collective wisdom of their peers to make informed choices about their health.

Reviews and rating not only helps patients, it also helps doctors gain real-time insights into patient perceptions, enabling them to refine their practices and enhance patient experiences. While moderation is essential to maintain the integrity of the reviews, the lack of it poses the risk of creating an opaque healthcare system that lacks transparency, accountability and is devoid of patient centric healthcare delivery system.

When RMPs share information on public platforms it is mostly in the interest of the patient, and informed decision making should be the guiding principle for any service offered to consumers, with healthcare being no exception. The more information consumers have, enables them to make better decisions about their health and this benchmark should be applicable across the healthcare spectrum right from physical to digital.

Source: Health World