There are both advantages and disadvantages: how online medicine works in the USA

The coronavirus pandemic has become a real test for the American healthcare system. Thousands of hospitals are experiencing an acute shortage of equipment and protective equipment. This is stated in the video "Voices of America".

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Non-urgent operations are canceled, Americans are urged to call their doctor first before going to the hospital.

At the same time, the range of services provided online is expanding - this has both advantages and disadvantages.

With the advent of COVID-19, telemedicine has become vital for the healthcare industry, with thousands of hospitals around the world urging patients to opt out of visits.

“Patients should limit the number of visits they make to the hospital and the time they wait in line for an appointment, especially during a pandemic. Online consultations will help prevent the rapid spread of the virus,” says Zhou Jian, director of a hospital in Shanghai.

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But online visits also have disadvantages - it is more difficult to make a correct diagnosis remotely, and not all people know how to use online applications. But a number of new telemedicine services are helping to solve the latter problem.

For example, the American virtual health care company Telladoc. They say that over the past few weeks, 50% more people have started using their services. Their competitors, such as Nokasap, are also becoming more popular.

Both services help people easily schedule consultations, change appointment times, add insurance information, and get in touch with several specialists in a short amount of time.

“We are trying to make it as easy as possible for the user to communicate with a doctor, as well as to allow hospitals to receive feedback and wishes from patients about the effectiveness of such a system,” says Dokas director Punit Maheshwari.

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One of the challenges of remote examinations is how to perform tests. But many companies in the USA produce special kits, thanks to which you can do the tests yourself without leaving your home.

For example, Texas-based startup Everlivel offers more than 30 kits for a variety of laboratory tests, including hormonal levels, food allergies, blood cholesterol, HIV tests, reproductive health tests and stress levels.

“The pandemic was the driving force that forced us to introduce all these new practices, which I think will become the norm,” says Maheshwari.

Inadequate Internet coverage in some regions, insurance difficulties and other problems of telemedicine remain, but in a pandemic, it can save many lives.

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