A doctor's advice via the Internet will not replace a consultation in an office, but it is worth knowing what possibilities are offered by modern technology. The available services include online registration to clinics, virtual doctors' advice, 24/7 heart monitoring by phone and help in choosing the right specialist.
Online medical advice
Virtual medical advice is used by more and more Internet users. Online medical consultations are sought mainly by people who have problems getting to a doctor's office due to being abroad or long lines to the clinic. Many questions asked to experts concern intimate diseases, which we are ashamed to talk about in the presence of a doctor. We are happy to visit specialists via the Internet, because we do not feel embarrassed. We freely describe ailments that we are ashamed to talk about in the office. You have to be aware, however, that in the case of intimate symptoms and many other ailments, a visit will be inevitable because no doctor will make a diagnosis without examining the patient.
The task of many specialists in medical portals is to quickly answer readers' questions. Of course, such advice should not be treated as a visit to a specialist, but it can be a good start to treatment.
How to ask a doctor a question online?On the selected portal, we use a form to describe our ailments, current treatment and provide other details that may be important when trying to make a diagnosis. We send the inquiry. Depending on the website, we will get the answer after a few or several days.
How much does an online advice cost?Most portals offer free advice. Niekótrzy, such as doctormed.pl, charge a fee of PLN 30 for each specialist's answer.
A list of some websites offering medical advice on-line:Radynikzdrowie.pl, www.imed24.pl, www.doctormed.pl, www.przychodnia.pl, www. ilekarze.pl.
EU project helpful in making the first diagnosis
IT specialists and doctors have created a website http://www.doktor-medi.pl/, where the patient can obtain the first diagnosis and seek specialist help from the appropriate doctor.
ServiceRynekzdrowia.pl quoted Piotr Orzechowski, an IT specialist working on creating the website: "The purpose of the Doktor-Medi.pl website is not to replace professional diagnostics - on the contrary - it is to increase the awareness of the user's he alth condition and refer them to a specialist doctor who will order appropriate tests and conduct proper diagnostics.
How does Doctor Medi work?In the intuitive panel you enter your dimensions, age and place of residence. The panel is graphically attractive, thanks to which you do not need to precisely describe your ailments - just click on the appropriate part of the virtual patient's body and disease prompts will be displayed by themselves. After making a selection, a virtual doctor is activated who asks detailed additional questions to help in making a diagnosis. After a few seconds, the first diagnosis appears and specialist doctors in a given field are proposed, for whom you can make an appointment online.
Heart monitoring by phone
The European Union also supported the project of a 24/7 cardiac care service. Cordium, because this is the name of the service, consists in sending information with a real record of the heart's work to a specialist. The doctor checks the results of the heart's work and gives appropriate advice. Thanks to this, you can get immediate help at critical moments, and in the event of an emergency, the doctor can also call an ambulance.
How Cordium worksIt is a Tele EKG device mounted on the body, which transmits information about the heart rate via GSM signal. The patient can contact the doctor on duty by phone at any time and make his heart work record available by holding the device to the phone. Thanks to this, in the event of a he alth deterioration, it is possible to contact a specialist immediately.
The device is dedicated to people with cardiovascular diseases and those who want to monitor their he alth as a preventive measure.