By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
  • Health
    • Mental Health
    Health
    Healthcare organizations are operating on slimmer profit margins than ever. One report in August showed that they are even lower than the beginning of the…
    Show More
    Top News
    learn to recognize and treat yeast infections
    Most Commonly Asked Questions About Yeast Infections
    November 17, 2021
    Advanced lung cancer diagnosis systems used by doctors
    Advanced Lung Cancer Diagnosis Systems Used by Doctors
    March 6, 2022
    The Top Benefits of a Wearable Blood Pressure Monitor Watch
    The Top Benefits of a Wearable Blood Pressure Monitor Watch
    June 13, 2022
    Latest News
    5 Steps to a Promising Career as a Healthcare Administrator
    July 31, 2025
    Why Custom Telemedicine Apps Outperform Off‑the‑Shelf Solutions
    July 20, 2025
    How Probate Planning Shapes the Future of Your Estate and Family Care
    July 17, 2025
    Beyond Nutrition: Everyday Foods That Support Whole-Body Health
    June 15, 2025
  • Policy and Law
    • Global Healthcare
    • Medical Ethics
    Policy and Law
    Get the latest updates about Insurance policies and Laws in the Healthcare industry for different geographical locations.
    Show More
    Top News
    Soaring Medical Costs Pinned on Medical Devices
    June 7, 2011
    Debt Ceiling Negotiations on Health Care are Mere Cost Shifting
    July 15, 2011
    Is Kathleen Sebelius Listening to the NCPA?
    August 29, 2011
    Latest News
    How IT and Marketing Teams Can Collaborate to Protect Patient Trust
    July 17, 2025
    How Health Choices and Legal Actions Intersect After an Injury
    July 17, 2025
    How communities and healthcare providers can address slip and fall injuries with legal awareness
    July 17, 2025
    Let Your Lawyer Handle the Work Before You Pay Medical Costs
    July 6, 2025
  • Medical Innovations
  • News
  • Wellness
  • Tech
Search
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: How Can We Improve the Clinical Consultation?
Share
Notification Show More
Font ResizerAa
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
Font ResizerAa
Search
Follow US
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Health Works Collective > eHealth > How Can We Improve the Clinical Consultation?
eHealth

How Can We Improve the Clinical Consultation?

malpani
malpani
Share
5 Min Read
SHARE
 

The traditional doctor-patient relationship has always relied upon an initial face to face consultation , to initiate the a

 

The traditional doctor-patient relationship has always relied upon an initial face to face consultation , to initiate the association . This has a lot of advantages, but it has lots of problems as well. Patients have to travel to see their doctor, and this can be very time-consuming with today’s traffic jams. They have to wait in the clinic ; and the doctor may be stuck in an emergency at that time, as a result of which he is running late ; or may not even be able to see the patient as scheduled . This creates a lot of inconvenience for the patient . Also , a face-to-face consultation is not necessarily the best way of exchanging information with the doctor. He may be in a bad mood because he may have run into a complication , as a result of which he may be short tempered . He may end up using a lot of jargon and may not explain things well because he is short of time and has lots of other patients to see. In addition, it’s well documented that patients forget half of what the doctor tells them , because of the stress of the consultation.

However , one major advantage a real life consultation offers is that it allows the patient to actually check out the doctor . He can feel the ambience of the clinic  and see how patient friendly it is. Is the staff
helpful ? Can he trust the doctor ? A face-to-face consultation allows the patient to judge the doctor’s bedside manner firsthand, so he can assess whether the chemistry between the doctor and him is good; and whether they will be able to establish a productive partnership. However, because of the time and expense involved in doing these consultations , we need to start looking for alternative measures.

One way is to do virtual consultations using videoconferencing and these have become increasingly popular. However, consultations serve two different purposes. One is to meet the information needs of the patient, where the doctor makes a diagnosis ; and formulates a treatment plan . An equally important ( but often neglected ) function is to meet the emotional needs of the patient , so he can decide if he is comfortable with the doctor and is happy working with him.

A good consultation addresses both these needs; and while both are equally important , they are slightly different , and are best met with different tools . It’s now possible to use a mix-and-match of tools , so that both doctors and patients are happy with each other. Thus, the information needs can be best met through online patient education using a website or e-mail ; while consultations are best for meeting the emotional needs. These could be done by videoconferencing ; or a face-to-face consultation.

However, some of these services could be misused. For example , patients could send lots of e-mails to doctors without actually intending to take treatment from them ; and lots of doctors may get irritated by this,  because it consumes their time , and is not a service for which they receive any income.

This is a great opportunity for clever entrepreneurs to think of new and more efficient ways of connecting doctors and patients, which doesn’t eat into the doctor’s time, but can increase the level of trust and confidence which the patient has in the doctor.

 
TAGGED:doctor/patient relationship
Share This Article
Facebook Copy Link Print
Share

Stay Connected

1.5kFollowersLike
4.5kFollowersFollow
2.8kFollowersPin
136kSubscribersSubscribe

Latest News

5 Steps to a Promising Career as a Healthcare Administrator
5 Steps to a Promising Career as a Healthcare Administrator
Health
July 31, 2025
holistic dental
Holistic Dentist Services Are Natural and Safe
Dental health Specialties
July 28, 2025
botox certification
Help Improve People’s Skin Health Via Botox Certification
Skin Specialties
July 22, 2025
Telemedicine Apps
Why Custom Telemedicine Apps Outperform Off‑the‑Shelf Solutions
Health
July 20, 2025

You Might also Like

Collaborating for Community Health Innovation

February 10, 2013

Venture Capital Indicates Trends of Digital Health

July 23, 2013

Seeing Red for Heart Health

February 3, 2013
eHealthHospital AdministrationTechnology

How Predictive Analytics And Big Data In Healthcare Can Improve Care

September 1, 2018
Subscribe
Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!
Follow US
© 2008-2025 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Username or Email Address
Password

Lost your password?