For a doctor to treat a patient, it was common for the patient to visit a medical institution or to visit the patient.
Either way, it is a form of medical care that puts a burden on doctors and patients, and in some cases, patients cannot receive medical care.
However, in the present age when IT technology has developed, an increasing number of medical institutions are introducing “online medical care”, which eliminates the drawback of not being able to receive medical examinations without going to the hospital.
This time, we will explain in detail the basic knowledge for clinics considering the introduction of online medical care to the introduction method.
If you want to introduce online medical care at the clinic you run or want to know the benefits that you can get after the introduction, please read it.
table of contents
- 1. What is online medical care in the first place?
- 2. How to introduce online medical care to medical institutions?
- 3. Benefits of introducing online medical care
- 4. Disadvantages of introducing online medical care
- 5. Which medical institutions accept online medical care?
- 6. What are the precautions for introducing online medical care?
What is online medical care in the first place?
As the name implies, “online medical care” means that a medical institution treats a patient via the Internet. At the time of medical treatment, doctors will perform medical treatment in the form of video chat through PCs, smartphones, and tablet terminals. Communication of diagnosis results and issuance of prescriptions are also done online as they are.
Online medical care is a new form of medical care, following “outpatient medical care” in which patients visit medical institutions, and “home medical care” in which doctors visit patients’ homes. In the modern age of Reiwa, the number of medical institutions adopting online medical care is increasing, and it can be said that this is a result of the establishment of an environment where doctors and patients can talk in real-time with the spread of communication equipment and the development of communication technology. ..
How to introduce online medical care to medical institutions?
| What you need to introduce online medical care | |
|---|---|
| Items prepared by medical institutions | What the patient prepares |
| Information and communication equipment (PCs and smartphones) | Information and communication equipment (PCs and smartphones) |
| Internet environment | Internet environment |
| Cameras and microphones for calls | Cameras and microphones for calls |
| Online medical care app | Credit card for payment |
| Notification documents to be submitted to the Health and Welfare Bureau | – – |
To provide online medical care, both the medical institution side and the patient side must prepare an “environment where medical care can be performed on the Internet”. Clinics considering the introduction of online medical care should start by having patients prepare “things prepared by medical institutions” and patients “things prepared by patients”.
● Flow until the introduction of online medical care
The main flow until medical institutions introduces online medical care is as follows.
①. Purchasing a system for online medical care
②. Installation of PC used for online medical treatment
③. Send a notification to the local welfare bureau
④. Determine patients to receive online medical care
⑤. Create an online medical care plan with the patient
⑥. Guide the patient to the online medical care application
①. Purchase an app for online medical care
Many companies sell apps (systems) for online medical care, and you can install your favorite apps according to the medical institution. For example, there are CLINICS, which has a good reputation for its versatility of functions, and YaDoc, which is easy to introduce even for beginners. Since the functions and usage fees of the app are different for each, it is recommended to check the usability before making a decision.
②. Preparation of information and communication equipment used for online medical treatment
Information and communication devices with apps such as CLINICS and YaDoc installed will be terminals that connect doctors and patients in online medical care. If your smartphone or tablet device is equipped with a camera and a microphone for calling, you do not need to prepare separately.
③. Send a notification to the local welfare bureau
To start online medical care, it is essential to notify the local welfare office where the medical institution is located. The notification form and sending procedure are published on the website of each Health and Welfare Bureau, so please fill in the form before sending the notification. Reference: List of local welfare (branch) bureau locations
④. Determine patients to receive online medical care
After sending the notification, the medical institution will determine the appropriate patient for online medical treatment. Patients who are apt to get sick are not suitable for online medical treatment because they require urgent treatment, but patients with stable illness symptoms and patients who are worried about going to the hospital are suitable for online medical treatment.
⑤. Create an “online medical care plan” with the patient
An online medical care plan is a document that describes the medical care method, equipment used, security risks, etc. of online medical care. Before you start online practice, you need to develop a plan and get an agreement with the patient you are treating.
⑥. Guide the patient to the online medical care application
Finally, have the patient download the online medical care application introduced by the medical institution to the patient’s smartphone or tablet device. Once the app is available to both the medical institution and the patient, it’s sunny and ready for online medical care.
Once ready, patients will be able to book online medical care through the app (or phone). The flow is that the medical institution contacts the patient during the reserved time and the online medical treatment is started.
Most of the apps used for online medical treatment support credit card payment, so you can also pay for medical treatment on the app. If the patient does not have a credit card, it is possible to make a combined bill when the patient visits the hospital.
Benefits of introducing online medical care
● No worries about nosocomial infections
With the introduction of online medical care, it is possible to see patients without face-to-face contact. Some patients are anxious about nosocomial infections and hesitate to have a face-to-face consultation, but online consultations do not have to worry about getting an infection. One of the characteristics of online medical care is that it eliminates the anxiety of patients who want to see a doctor but cannot go to the hospital, and can expect to acquire new patients. In particular, nosocomial infections often hinder the operation of medical institutions, so online medical care is extremely effective in terms of safety.
● It will be easier to reduce the burden on medical institutions
Creating an environment where patients can be examined online can reduce the burden on medical institutions. In particular, the illnesses that patients suffer do not require close medical care and can often be treated with simple care or home care. Online medical examinations that can be examined from a remote location make it easier to examine mild patients and reduce the burden on doctors. In addition, online medical examinations are generally paid by credit card, and prescription drugs can also be delivered by mail. There is no need to perform counter operations such as paying medical examination fees and prescribing medicines, which can be expected to be effective in reducing the burden on medical institutions.
Disadvantages of introducing online medical care
● I can’t see all the illnesses
Online medical care has the disadvantage of being “inferior in accuracy to face-to-face medical care” because it is indirect medical care. Direct medical examinations such as palpation and auscultation cannot be performed online, and it may be difficult to determine the illness depending on the symptoms. Depending on the patient, it may be necessary to confirm the detailed medical condition through hospital visits or visits by doctors. Also, keep in mind that in addition to direct medical examination, online medical treatment cannot be treated. When treating trauma or collecting blood, the doctor and the patient must face each other.
● High risk of information leakage
Online medical care can also steal the personal information of doctors and patients from the device you are using. This is because there is a risk of information leakage and unauthorized access in online medical examinations due to the specifications for conducting medical examinations via the Internet. Terminal and system security measures are indispensable to prevent this information leakage and unauthorized access. In addition, when performing online medical care, it will be necessary for the medical institution to explain the security risks to the patient through the above-mentioned “online medical care plan”.
Which medical institutions accept online medical care?
You can check the medical institutions nationwide that accept online medical care in the ” List of medical institutions that support online medical care ” published by the Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare. In addition, there are many cases where the presence or absence of online medical care is disclosed on the websites operated by medical institutions individually.
In addition, some medical institution search sites have services that allow you to search for medical institutions that have an online medical care system. When introducing online medical care, you may want to refer to how other medical institutions are providing online medical care and what apps you are using.
Reference: You can search for medical institutions that support online medical care.
By the way, in the modern age of Reiwa, many apps dedicated to online medical care have been released, but due to the influence of the new coronavirus that has spread worldwide, the demand for online medical care has the advantage of preventing nosocomial infections has increased. It can be said that it is a sign of being infected. An increasing number of medical institutions are introducing online medical care in response to increasing demand.
What are the precautions for introducing online medical care?
Finally, I would like to introduce some points to note when introducing online medical care at medical institutions.
The specific method of introducing online medical care is as described in the previous section, but when considering the introduction, please refer to the website of the Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare. This is because due to the influence of the new coronavirus that prevailed in 2020, the system and legislation for online medical care are constantly being reviewed and legislated even in the present age of Rewa. For example, with the revision of the rules in April 2020, the training of doctors, which was required when introducing online medical care, is no longer required, and in principle, online medical care can be performed from the first medical examination, which was a face-to-face medical treatment. The rules have been revised.
Since the guidelines on the proper implementation of online medical care published by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare describe the basic principles and detailed rules of current online medical care, it is recommended to introduce online medical care following the government’s guidelines. Is possible.
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