How Telehealth Can Keep You Healthy at Home

Jun 11, 2020 | Past Sponsored

Physicians from Clark Memorial Health have been offering telehealth appointments with patients using the online platform Zoom.
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, many people had heard of telehealth but didn’t know exactly what it was or how to use it. With social distancing and stay-at-home orders in place, health care providers have recognized that telehealth is one of the easiest ways to offer care to patients who cannot safely leave their homes or don’t want to risk an office visit. Clark Memorial Health is making telehealth an optimal way for patients to get the care they need from their physicians. 

Dr. Nicholas Harper is one of the physicians practicing with Clark Memorial Health who has been offering telehealth appointments using the online platform Zoom. “Over the past several weeks, I have performed Zoom visits with patients ranging in age from early 20s to late 80s,” says Dr. Harper, a board-certified internal medicine physician. “Nearly all of my patients, even those who admit to not being tech-savvy, have found the process easy and convenient.”

Patients may wonder whether they are getting the same kind of thorough care that they might if they were sitting in an examination room with their doctor. The most important feature of telehealth is that it allows the physician to both see and listen to the patient, taking note of changes in their condition, their symptoms, and medications used. “There are a variety of issues that can be addressed without having to lay hands on a patient for a complete physical exam,” Dr. Harper says. 

The COVID-19 pandemic has been difficult for many people, but increasing the rates of telehealth is a boon to both patients and physicians for a variety of reasons. With so many people both working from home and tending to children, a telehealth appointment is convenient and takes much less time. For physicians and their staff, telehealth eliminates some of the stress of ensuring social distancing among patients and keeps the schedule running more smoothly. 

“I believe that the COVID-19 pandemic has led to an explosion of telehealth use,” Dr. Harper says. “It is an effective means of caring for patients in many situations while keeping them healthy at home and avoiding potentially being exposed to COVID-19.”

P.S. Learn more about how to cope with the effects of COVID-19.

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