![]() ![]() When a new symptom crops up, patients should generally schedule an in-person visit. Patients can discuss the pros and cons of different options virtually and may need to schedule a visit only if they want an IUD inserted. ![]() A study found no significant differences in rates of cesarean deliveries, preterm birth, birth weight, or admissions to the neonatal intensive care unit between women who received up to a dozen prenatal visits in person and those who received a mix of in-person and virtual visits.Ĭontraception is another area where less may be more, DeNicola said. ![]() Nathaniel DeNicola, chair of telehealth for the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Some models now recommend eight or fewer, said Dr. Typically, pregnancy involves 14 in-person visits. In obstetrics, the pandemic accelerated a gradual shift to fewer in-person prenatal visits. Unless a doctor does a physical exam, too often children with ear infections receive prescriptions for antibiotics, said Mehrotra, pointing to a study he co-authored comparing prescribing differences between telemedicine visits, urgent care, and primary care visits. Ryan Mire, an internist who is president of the American College of Physicians. "We wouldn't know how to evaluate it without an exam," said Dr. A 25-year-old in generally good health is usually a better candidate for telehealth than a 75-year-old with multiple chronic conditions.īut some health complaints typically require an in-person examination, doctors said, such as abdominal pain, severe musculoskeletal pain, or problems related to the eyes and ears.Ībdominal pain could signal trouble with the gallbladder, liver, or appendix, among many other things. Someone's overall physical health may help tip the scales on whether an in-person exam is needed. Increasingly, monitoring equipment that people can keep at home - a blood pressure cuff, a digital glucometer or stethoscope, a pulse oximeter to measure blood oxygen, or a Doppler monitor that checks a fetus's heartbeat - may give doctors the information they need, reducing the number of in-person visits required. This may seem like a no-brainer, but there are nuances. Once it's clearer how the patient is coping and responding to treatment, that's a good time to discuss incorporating telemedicine visits. "There are things you can miss unless you're sitting a foot or two away from the person." Arif Kamal, an oncologist and the chief patient officer at the American Cancer Society. "A diagnosis of cancer is an emotional event it's a life-changing moment, and a doctor wants to respond to that," said Dr. But just as important, he might want to assess a patient's emotional state. After a cancer diagnosis, for example, an oncologist might want to examine the site of a biopsy. Sometimes an in-person first visit can help doctors evaluate their patients in nontangible ways, too. ![]()
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