Lack of trust is still an element of concern in online consultancy: Shalendra Sinha, DrAtHome, Health News, ET HealthWorld
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Lack of trust is still an element of concern in online consultancy: Shalendra Sinha, DrAt Online consultation has now become the norm, but is there high-quality access? Do the facilities allow live-streaming of real-time data and provide a seamless experience that prioritizes patient convenience while making healthcare accessible and convenient for all?
ETHealthWorld
Updated: March 21, 2023, 08:16 IST
Shahid Akhter, editor, ETHealthworld, spoke to Shalendra Sinha, Founder & Director, DrAtHome, to understand his perception of the dilemma and challenge that still haunts online consultation. He discusses his way forward, which culminated in DrAtHome services.
Online consultation post COVID-19
After COVID, we observed that this online consultation was taking a backseat. We figured out a lot of challenges in the online consultation. One part is the legality of it, which the people are actually unaware of. The process and system of functioning are not set right, especially in online consultations. People have different views on this concept, and there are gaps in terms of diagnosis.
Online consultation: Challenges
Online consultation has its own limitations that are something of great concern because they are a limitation for both the doctor and the patient. Online consultation is based on symptoms-based diagnosis; doctors are unable to see the body data of the patient, and patients are also unable to trust the doctors because it becomes one-sided communication from the patients point of view. So the lack of trust is still there in online consulting.
Idea behind DrAt A few things happened in my family during the Covid pandemic that nudged me to find a solution. My grandmother, aged 99 years, became sick leaving us in a quandary since no doctor was ready for a home visit. My mother too was suffering from a severe toothache which led to swelling in her face.
Through video calling, a doctor suggested that a mobile phone camera be placed inside my mothers mouth so that he can see the swelling. Though the whole process was quite uncomfortable for my mother, the doctor could make a proper diagnosis and prescribe medicines only after getting the inside view of the mouth.
These incidents made me think of solutions that would give a doctor the right kind of connectivity and information so that he can make a proper diagnosis to the satisfaction of the patient. This was the core idea behind the DrAtHome platform.
DrAtHome: Journey so far
First, the DrAtHome platform assists a patient in getting an appointment with a doctor of choice. The patient can choose to take the consultation from either the care van equipped to facilitate medical consultations in a comfortable atmosphere for the patient; or from the comfort of their home.
A nurse assists the patient and the doctor during diagnosis, ensuring that the physician gets all required information, views, and procedures administered. The integrated medical device collects multiple medical parameters such as heartbeat with a live stethoscope for, pulse, blood pressure, oxygen levels and even ECG and transmits the data live to the doctor.
The platform also ensures complete post-consultation assistance through digitized medical records and help in tests and sample collection. The machine has been integrated into two ways. One is in the form of a van and the other is in the form of a briefcase. The van is equipped with all modern mechanisms. Once a patient sits in the van, all his body vitals and relevant parts are visible to the doctor for a proper and flawless diagnosis. If the patient is unable to walk, the solution is right at hand in the form of a briefcase which can be carried to the patient, connecting him to the doctor. Whatever modern facilities are available in the van are available in the briefcase.
DrAtHome: Future plans
DrAtHome is currently available in Noida, Greater Noida, Ghaziabad and nearby areas. During the next three months, we will learn about patient behaviour as well as the response of the doctors. We are working on improving our platform further and trying to add new features to cover a wider range of diagnostic tests and provide more solutions. Also, we will try to cover more cities soon.
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Tuesday, March 21, 2023 at 2:31 am