How Will My Vitals Be Checked During My Virtual Visit?

Fifty years ago, the concept of telemedicine was introduced in hospitals with the goal of making Virtual healthcare services accessible to everyone. But with recent advancements in technology, and people seeking new and convenient options in seeking medical care, virtual services have now become an integral part of the healthcare industry. And with the COVID-19 pandemic, the rate of demand for these services has accelerated more than expected. A study by La and colleagues found that access to virtual care visits promoted continuity of care for patients who avoided seeking care from emergency department or walk-in clinic for issues that could be address by primary care providers.

Telemedicine clinic has now become a useful tool in delivering healthcare services to patients remotely and enhancing healthcare. Although virtual care cannot completely replace face-to-face appointments, this form of medical care has helped break accessibility and connectivity barriers between a patient and physician.

What Qualifies as A Virtual Care Appointment?

Any interaction between a patient and a healthcare specialist that happens remotely, with the help of technology, is considered as a virtual care appointment. The goal of virtual care here is to assess, diagnose and treat medical concerns of a patient over a phone call, text messaging or a video call, eliminating the need to visit the clinic in-person for minor health concerns, and without compromising on the quality of care that is being delivered. There is also another kind of virtual care service that includes recording a video of patients with epilepsy, restless legs syndrome, sleep terrors and other sleeping disorders, for their healthcare specialist to look and analyse the condition later.

How Can My Vitals Be Checked During a Virtual Care Session?

When you visit a hospital or a clinic, one of the first things they do there is check your vital signs such as blood pressure, temperature, heart rate, oxygen levels, etc. Vitals summarize our overall wellbeing state. Checking these signs is a crucial part of a healthcare appointment as these indicate a patient’s health, helps a physician in preventing a misdiagnosis, and helps in detecting health conditions that are asymptomatic.

Even during your virtual care appointment too, a variety of health care technologies will help your physician check your vital signs. An article by CJC Open explains how these virtual care technologies are not intended to replace traditional health care delivery methods, but rather to augment and integrate with services to ensure more productive, efficient, and equitable health care for all citizens. It is important that you keep the devices handy, during your Doctor Appointment Online. Having a thermometer and a pulse oximeter with you will help your physician in confirming if you have a fever and help identify patients if COVID-19 is suspected. If you are diabetic, have your blood sugar monitor device with you, as your doctor might ask for those readings. A peak flow meter reading if you suffer from asthma would be helpful during your appointment too. If you are diabetic and have been asked to keep a track of your blood sugar levels with a glucometer, keep notes of these readings handy.

If you have an electronic scale, you should weigh yourself on the day of your appointment, preferably in the morning. An upper arm blood pressure cuff would be helpful for your doctor in knowing your blood pressure and heart rate. It is recommended that you check these vitals and be ready with the readings, a few hours prior to your appointment, to save time during your session.

If you do not have a device to check your heart rate, your doctor will ask you to count your pulse by placing your finger on your wrist and counting the beats you feel. You will also be asked if you notice any pauses or skips in the rhythm of your heartbeat. Your healthcare provider could also ask your heart rate and electrocardiogram readings from your apple or other smartwatch, to assess your overall health.

For children with a high fever, using a rectal thermometer is recommended since they would be unable to hold thermometers in their mouths. Avoid forehead or armpit thermometer readings, as they provide inaccurate readings.

In addition to the above-mentioned devices, you could also ask your doctor if you could use any other monitoring devices for your next appointment, that could improve the treatment outcome. It is recommended that the equipment you use to check your vitals have digital displays, so that you could show them to your doctor directly during your virtual video call.

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