INFORMATION ABOUT ONLINE CONSULTATION

What is Telemedicine?

Telemedicine is a healthcare service performed by doctors using information and communication technology to diagnose, treat, prevent, and / or evaluate the health condition of patients in accordance with their competence and authority.

By using telemedicine services, patients can consult health issues online with general practitioners and qualified specialists to discuss health care options, where patients will get important health information efficiently and quickly.

The team of doctors involved in supporting this service can come from various backgrounds and areas of expertise, such as general practitioners, pediatricians, internal medicine specialists, obstetrics and gynecology specialists, surgeons and other specialties. In providing telemedicine services, these doctors adhere to their competence and authority, as evidenced by a registration certificate (STR) and a practice permit (SIP) in regard to the quality of service and patient safety.

What are the Benefits and Advantages of Telemedicine?

Meeting with doctors in hospitals during the pandemic or the Covid-19 outbreak as it is now is difficult and might be avoided by the public. Applying self-isolation and physical distancing is still the first choice for the community. In addition, the time needed to go to the hospital and the cost of travel that may not be small makes the community increasingly discouraged from going to the hospital just like the present situation.

Some of the conditions above raise the need for a solution on how to be able to consult with a doctor but still in a safe situation. The answer is telemedicine. Telemedicine is presented to be one option that is able to answer those needs.

There are many advantages to choosing to do health services with telemedicine including:

1. Telemedicine services can save time and reduce the amount of time patients wait before they get their turn to consult. This certainly will greatly help patients in allocating a short amount of time in getting a consultation with a doctor.
2. Telemedicine services can save costs ranging from the cost of travel to the hospital to the costs incurred related to activities going to this hospital.
3. Telemedicine services help patients decide on the next step whether the patient is sufficient to consult only from home, or need to visit a doctor at the clinic, or must enter the emergency room when the illness is adjusted to the conditions and results of the assessment by the doctor during the teleconsultation.
4. Telemedicine services can also help minimize transmission and spread of disease due to the large number of patients who travel to hospitals or gather people in hospitals for medical services.
5. Telemedicine services help ensure that Indonesians can access information easily and factually through online consultations, including information on Covid-19.

How does telemedicine work from the medical side?

Telemedicine services are provided by doctors to patients through digital media such as chat applications and face to face video, this is referred to as teleconsultation.

The doctor will conduct an interview about the patient’s complaint (anamnesa) and see the patient’s condition through audiovisual assistance then do the recording and assessment and decide on the type of therapy and prescribe medication and advice / advice what needs to be known to be done by the patient.

In conditions where the doctor sees the patient’s condition requires sufficient attention such as the degree of illness is quite serious, the doctor will advise patients to come to the hospital and conduct supporting examinations that help confirm the diagnosis such as laboratory and radiological examinations or other supporting examinations if needed. For mild illness conditions, the consultation can be completed by teleconsultation, but for moderate to severe pain conditions, the patient will still be directed by a doctor to come to the clinic or emergency department (ER).

During teleconsultation, the doctor will make records in the patient’s medical record file and at the same time will see the medical record or history record of the patient’s disease if the patient has ever gone to the hospital before. The doctor will guarantee the security and confidentiality of patient data contained in the medical record file in accordance with statutory regulations.

Information for further action if there is a purchase of drugs, radiology, lab, etc.?

From the results of the teleconsultation, if the doctor provides drug therapy, the doctor will write the prescription of the drug through an online prescription application. Online prescriptions will be accepted by the Hospital Pharmacy and the Hospital Pharmacy staff will prepare the drug and contact the patient to ask whether the drug is delivered or taken by the patient as well as providing information and education to the patient or the patient’s family on how to use the drug.

If the doctor gives advice to conduct a supporting examination (Radiology, Laboratory, USG, etc.), the doctor will write a reference letter / order of the examination and send a referral letter / order to the related unit (Radiology, Laboratory, etc.).

On the appointed day the patient can come to the hospital and go to the Radiology or Laboratory unit to carry out the intended investigation.