The current pandemic scenario introduced several changes in varied dimensions of life. And, the medical industry is no exception. Thus, medical consultations also emerged online to satisfy the patients' concerns while ensuring safety and convenience.
 

However, to make the online medical consultation successful, you need to plan on certain prerequisites. It will help you relate better to your medical concerns and make the consultation worth the payment. So, here are six things to remember before booking an online appointment.
 

Before we discuss the important aspects, let us understand what an online doctor consultation means.
 

What is an Online Medical Consultation?
 

Online medical consultation refers to consulting your doctor virtually through a smart device using the internet to discuss your medical concerns and get treated for prompt recovery.
 

Things to Remember Before Booking an Online Appointment
 

When you go on for doctor consultation online, the time you spend with the doctor is extremely crucial for both of you. Therefore, you should make the best use of time. Here are a few aspects to help you out.
 

1. Ensure smart technology - When you schedule an appointment with the doctor online, you have to ensure your smart device works well and there is an effective internet connection.
   
   If there is a delay or an interruption, you cannot continue with the discussion smoothly. You will also tend to forget what you wanted to communicate with the doctor due to the confusion. Therefore, test your connection multiple times before the appointment.
   
   In some cases, when you download the application, you will be prompted with a questionnaire to assure the reliability of the connection and smart device before booking the appointment. This technological advancement became prominent for the online doctor consultation during COVID-19.
   
   
2. Write down a checklist for the consultation - When you do the online consultation, your doctor will ask several queries. The questions will be based on the severity of your issue. The answers you provide will help the doctor understand your health condition better. Therefore, it is important to prepare yourself for the discussion.
   
   You have to be sure of the reason for consultation, associated medical conditions in the past and present, prescribed and non-prescribed medicines taken in this regard, allergies, if any, and your family's health history.
   
   If you have certain queries that you need to ask the doctor, write them down in order of importance before the appointment so that you don't forget them in the middle of the conversation.
   
   
3. Get ready with your medical records - While you get prepared for the medical appointment online, you also have to keep your previous medical records ready to answer the doctor's specific queries.
   
   For instance, if you have a health concern regarding diabetes, your doctor might ask you for a recent report on fasting blood sugar levels in the recent past. If you have your reports ready, you can answer them without any further delay. It will help your doctor assess the situation appropriately and prescribe the right medications.
   
   
   
4. Bring in a family member or a friend if necessary - It is also possible that you may not communicate the issue appropriately to your doctor. The reasons might be due to the lack of knowledge of the medications taken or difficulty understanding the language. So, you can take a friend along with you who can elaborate on the medical issue.
   
   
5. Prepare yourself to be honest - When you go on a medical appointment online, you have to be honest about the symptoms. It would help if you also spoke about any activities that affected your health condition in the recent past.
   
   For example, the doctor might ask you about your alcohol, smoking, and sexual history based on your medical concern. You have to be honest while answering such questions to help your doctor treat you with the right medication.
   
   Doctors don't ask these queries to determine what kind of a person you are but to make sure you are healthy enough for a swift recovery. Therefore, you need not be embarrassed while communicating your habits.
   
   
6. Be prepared with insurance details - Online medical consultancy services have gone a great way in treating many health conditions. It made consultations and making payments convenient. Moreover, based on your online medical reports, you can also avail yourself of the benefits of a life insurance policy.
   
   For instance, if you had purchased term insurance with the critical illness benefit. And, after 40 years of age, if you get diagnosed with a critical illness, you can claim the insured amount by providing the prescription and reports online and get paid for the treatment.
    

Conclusion
 

Online medical appointments in India became a common practice after the pandemic situation. It helped people converse with their medical practitioners to discuss their health concerns and get treated. In addition, it made consultations extremely convenient for the doctor and the patient. You can always record your medical history stored in the online application for quick reference anytime.
 

However, to make medical appointments online, you need to remember certain important aspects like getting well prepared with technology, previous health records, insurance details, etc. You also have to be prepared to speak confidently and honestly for the best treatment. So make use of the telemedicine facility and stay safe while ensuring good health!
 

L&C/Advt/2022/Nov/2725