Besides the cost of having a medical aid or medical insurance, or even paying out of pocket for private care, other factors in getting to the doctor or hospital can also be quite pricey. Travelling to the doctor’s office can be expensive, depending on where you live, and taking public transport may not be an option – this is often the deciding factor for many patients when it comes to cancelling appointments

Having to book an appointment to see a doctor for a minor, non-emergency set of symptoms can be a schlepp on its own, too. These factors are all part of the reasoning behind telehealth, and many people are opting to be consulted over the phone, or via the internet instead of actually leaving their home.

Pros and cons

As with any innovation, telehealth has its good points and then, of course, there are the negative aspects of removing the face to face aspect of medical care.

E Visit, an American care provider that has adopted telehealth as a way of treating patients, praises this way of virtual consultation as a way to lower healthcare costs, drive up efficiency and revenue, provide your patients better access to healthcare services, and ultimately get happier, healthier patients who stay in your organization.

Of course, the use of telehealth is restricted to non-threatening conditions, and will not properly substitute face to face interaction with a physician, and this is where the grey areas may lie while the kinks of the very new method are being ironed out.

CNBC further reports that doctors and patients like the flexibility and time savings the online technology affords, particularly in rural areas where access to care can be difficult. In addition to being “seen” by your doctor, telehealth allows you and your physician to exchange health data and other information, as well as cut costs and lower cancellation rates at practices.

Locally, telehealth has been utilised more in psychology, with chat rooms and chat applications where mental health professionals are on hand 24/7. It isn’t common practice with general practitioners’ though.