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Pandemia increased the demand for telemedicine five times. How it works, explain "New Gazeta" and "Doctor near"

New restrictive measures have been introduced in Moscow. Trips around the city - by electronic passes. To visit medical institutions, they can be obtained an unlimited number of times. But why even risk your health, your own and others, when many services can be obtained remotely. And in April - also for free, as part of the joint project "Doctor Near" and VEB.rf. About how it works, says Denis Shvetsov, Director General of the Dr. Nearby service.

What experts can you consult online?

As part of the VEB.rf project and Doctor Near ”, free medical consultations are available with doctors of the following specialties: therapist, pediatrician, cardiologist, neurologist, gastroenterologist, endocrinologist, gynecologist, urologist, orthopedic trauma, ENT, dermatologist, dermatologist, allergist-immunologist.

Therapists and pediatricians work for you around the clock. You can sign up for the doctors of narrow specialties in advance for a convenient time.

Can an online dog prescribe treatment, drugs?

According to the law on telemedicine, which entered into force in 2018, as part of a remote consultation, the doctor does not have the right to make a diagnosis, prescribe treatment and prescribe drugs. Russian legislation more seriously regulates the industry than similar laws of other countries where telemedicine is actively developing.

The evolution of the legislation regulating the industry, the ability to make a preliminary diagnosis, prescribe treatment and prescribe sick leave, will expand our possibilities to help patients online during the pandemic and after the epidemiological situation in the country will stabilize. After all, medicine should always be convenient and affordable.

How comparable to the personal appointment of a doctor?

Telemedicine is not a separate type of medical activity, but a way of providing medical services using telecommunication technologies. Of course, online consultations will never completely replace a full-time reception, but two formats of communication between a doctor and the patient can effectively complement each other. For example, after an initial examination, users will be able to translate further interaction with a doctor online, which is convenient and accessible.

How does it take control of the quality of online consultations?

We have several quality control levels:

We constantly control the availability of the service in real time by tracking the number of patients awaiting the therapist or pediatrician consultation, and the presence of free slots for recording narrow specialties to doctors.

We carefully monitor the feedback of users. Each specific case of dissatisfaction or negative experience of patients is considered individually, the record of the consultation is analyzed by our medical director and makes its conclusion about whether the consultation was correctly carried out. Then we must contact the patient.

Our team has experts who conduct a selective verification of consultations and medical records, evaluating the quality of the service provided: how detailed the anamnesis and complaints of the patient were assembled, and the recommendations are correctly, whether the doctor was attentive and emphatic to the patient's problem, whether he answered all the questions of the caller.

I want to note that the vast majority of patients using our services evaluate them at least 4.8 out of 5 points.

Is there any possibility of re -taking the same doctor and conducting the disease or the service selects any doctor available at the time of the doctor’s contact?

Therapists and pediatricians accept patients with patients in the order of the general line, so you cannot choose a doctor. Doctors of narrow specialties are taken by appointment, which means that you can sign up for a chosen specialist for primary or re -consultation.

How often did people see the online consultation of a doctor with the introduction of quarantine?

During pandemia, telemedicine is an effective solution for providing the population with medical services, as well as a tool for protection and prevention to stop the spread of a viral infection. Thanks to telemedicine, Russians can seek medical help online, thereby avoiding personal visits to the clinic and minimizing the risk of infection.

Since the beginning of the social distance of citizens, we are observing the daily increase in the number of appeals. The joint project of VEB.rf and Doctor nearby was launched on March 30, all residents of Russia got the opportunity to consult with the doctors of key specialties for free online, and again the number of appeals increased. Today we spend 5-6 times more consultations daily than before the start of the pandemic.

What doctors are more likely to address patients?

The help of narrow specialists is becoming more and more relevant for Russians. After all, many patients are forced to cancel planned techniques and examinations, because they are in self -isolation or on quarantine. But the need for a doctor’s consultation does not become less, so people turn to telemedicine. Today, consultations of obstetrician-gynecologists, dermatologists, neurologists and gastroenterologists are in demand.

How much do patients trust such a service?

“Doctor nearby” is the largest telemedician service in our country. We held more than 100 thousand distance consultations. The vast majority of patients highly appreciate our service and return to us again and again, which, of course, speaks of the trust of our users.

Does the technique complicate the video communication or with the help of a telephone conversation complicates the work for the doctor?

Patients are waiting for more involvement and empathy by the doctor who is addressed remotely, therefore, in addition to professional skills, doctors leading online reception, it is necessary to develop communication skills, orientation on the patient, and this is not easy.

Should the doctor have additional competencies in order to conduct telekation?

Conducting distance consultations requires a specialist in deep communication skills. The doctor should also know the possibilities and limitations of online reception, could help the patient with his problem, but at the same time clearly understand when the online format is already unacceptable and a person needs to urgently call an ambulance.

We teach each doctor before he begins to receive in the telemedicine service “Doctor Near”. Today, in connection with the current situation, doctors are going on intensively daily in online format.

How do experts themselves relate to such patients, are you observing the growth of the number of doctors who want to work remotely during the pandemic period?

For such a large -scale and significant project as providing free access to online consultations for milestones in residents of the country, we connected not only all our resources, but also the capabilities of our partners - Moscow and regional clinics. We see a wide response in the professional community, highly qualified doctors from various regions want to take part of the most important work to ensure access to medicine for the widest circle of patients. We are ready to train doctors with technologies and the specifics of communication online to satisfy the growing requests for medical care of the inhabitants of our country. The experience of such digital interaction is useful to doctors and patients in the future, when the epidemiological situation in the country is stabilized.

In your opinion, what is the future awaits telemedicine after the end of the pandemic?

We see that more and more Russians integrate online communication with doctors into their daily life, receive information about this type of services and come to understand their values. Medical assistance should always be accessible and convenient, so the significance of digital medicine and the place occupied by it in the general healthcare system will grow significantly.