Like everybody else, you may have gotten used to getting your necessities delivered straight to your doorstep in the past 24 months. Groceries, meals, school and office supplies, as well as appliances and furniture, are bought online and sent to your home.
As people around the world adjusted their lifestyles to meet health protocols during the pandemic, many of the habits and processes that we have gotten used to have undergone drastic changes as well. One of these is the way we deal with our health concerns.
Before the pandemic, patients would go to the hospital or a doctor’s clinic for their regular check-ups or to get treatment for an illness or injury. These healthcare facilities used to be our top-of-mind destination whenever we don’t feel well. But the pandemic turned this around and made it risky to go to a hospital as well as any other crowded places. Because of this, people have turned to alternative ways of getting the medical care they needed such as through home doctors brisbane visits.
Doctors makinghouse calls is not an entirely new thing. This was actually quite common in the 1930s, with almost 40% of patients opting for this service at that time. The emergence of multiple hospitals and clinics inside towns and cities have reduced this practice to only 1% in the 1980s. With the pandemic restricting physical interactions, doctor home visits are starting to re-emerge.
If you feel the need for medical care at home, book a schedule with our doctors at HouseCallDoctor.Com.Au. Of course, a home visit is not the same as going to a hospital where you can find all the medical equipment and facilities needed for healthcare. This is why in certain cases; you would still need to go and see your doctor in his clinic. To help you figure out which situations are appropriate for home visits and which are not, check out this list:
Emergency Care
Any ailment that seems life-threatening needs to be addressed right away, and ideally in a facility that has the necessary equipment for emergency treatments. Examples of these are heart attack, heavy fall or severe injury, stroke, asphyxiation, and other illnesses or trauma of a similar nature.
In cases like these, it is too risky to stay at home and wait for the doctor to arrive. Every second counts, and any delay could spell the difference between life and death.
A doctor who lives nearby may be able to attend to the patient, but would not have the equipment he needs to give the patient the help he needs due to the limitations brought about by the location. Thus, it is best to call an ambulance which is furnished with the basic medical equipment needed to stabilize the patient’s condition while on the way to the hospital.
Palliative Care
Another condition that is not advisable for a home visit by a doctor are long-term cases that need palliative care.
Examples of these are cancer, kidney or liver problems, neurological disorders like Alzheimer’s or Huntington’s disease, heart or pulmonary ailments, and other serious conditions that need constant care.
Unless the doctor is someone who has been attending to the patient for quite some time and is familiar with the medical history, chronic diseases are best left to specialists who have undergone extensive training in the management or treatment of these diseases. Aside from that. these types of conditions are also best treated at hospitals or medical facilities that have both the expertise and the tools needed for the required treatments.
Acute Ailments
Non-life-threatening ailments can be addressed by a visiting doctor. These are medical conditions or minor injuries that pose no immediate threat to the patient and can wait a couple of hours before getting treated. Some examples are mild allergies, eye or ear infection, joint or muscle pains, minor wounds or sprains, respiratory or urinary tract infections, or age-related conditions.
However, while these ailments would not cause serious adverse reactions, the patient may be uncomfortable and might be in pain. When you make a call to your doctor to request the home visit, ask him for any first aid treatments that you can do while waiting in order to alleviate the pain and discomfort of the patient.
Care For the Elderly
A doctor home visit is also recommended for regular check-ups and consultations of elderly patients, especially for those who already have impaired mobility. Getting them to stay at home and wait for the doctor’s arrival is much better for their comfort compared to them having to physically exert themselves to go to the clinic or hospital.
Some elderly patients also become uneasy in unfamiliar surroundings, which can affect the doctor’s assessment and treatment recommendation. Aside from this, doctors can better check on a patient’s compliance to their treatment regimen when they see the patient in his natural environment.
Post-Acute Treatments
In some cases, post-acute care can be conducted at home. Subject to the approval of their attending physician, post-acute care patients can choose to stay at home after being discharged from the hospital. A doctor may then visit the patient’s home to review the progress of his recovery, check for any adverse effects or deterioration, and
replenish his medications if necessary.
Post-acute care patients who are not able to move about freely would also benefit from a doctor’s home visit. With an ongoing treatment, it may not be advisable for a patient to travel to the hospital or the doctor’s clinic for a check-up.
Medical Assessment
Doctors may also be invited for a home visit if there is a need to check the viability of a home environment for patient treatment or recovery. This is usually needed when the attending physician suspects low compliance of an ongoing treatment, or if the doctor has noticed an abnormally slow recovery progress.
The home visit assessment can help identify any lifestyle changes that need to be done in order to improve the patient’s recovery. The visiting doctor can also make the proper recommendation if the patient should be moved to a nursing home or medical facility that can better attend to his healthcare needs.
However, while these ailments would not cause serious adverse reactions, the patient may be uncomfortable and might be in pain. When you make a call to your doctor to request the home visit, ask him for any first aid treatments that you can do while waiting in order to alleviate the pain and discomfort of the patient.” tom “However, while these ailments would not cause serious adverse reactions, the patient may be uncomfortable and might be in pain. When you make a call to your doctor to request the home visit, ask him for any first aid treatments that you can do while waiting in order to alleviate the pain and discomfort of the patient. And keep in mind, options like online uti treatment are available if your doctor is unavailable.
