While there were comparatively few video consultations before Corona, many practices changed their offerings during the pandemic.
What you should consider during video consultation hours.
Instead of going into practice, the route leads to a smartphone or computer.
A video connection between doctor and patient is set up, and the consultation hour begins - this is not new, but telemedicine has recently received a lot of impetus due to the Corona * -related restrictions.
"A breakthrough" is what Prof. Friedrich Köhler from the Charité Berlin calls the past weeks and months.
"Telemedicine has saved many patients who could not go to medical practices and clinics from deteriorating their state of health," says Köhler, who is a member of the Telemedicine Commission of the German Society for Internal Medicine.
But at the same time it became clear: "It is only an addition to the classic treatment
pillars,
outpatient and inpatient, and
thus a third pillar
."
Video consultation hours as a cash benefit: the prerequisites for the practice and the patient must be right
In order for the video consultation to work, the prerequisites must be in place on both sides - the doctor and the patient.
The practice must use a certified program.
Doctors also need
special skills in communication
.
"In addition, the doctor and patient should ideally know each other beforehand, even if the Doctors' Day has relaxed the ban on exclusive remote treatment," says Köhler.
According to this, doctors can
treat
their patients
in individual cases by telephone or, for example, via video chat,
even without prior first contact
.
For the patient, the prerequisites are manageable: "A computer, tablet or smartphone with screen or display, camera, microphone and loudspeaker as well as an Internet connection are sufficient," says Roland Stahl from the National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians (KBV).
In addition, you have to give your
consent
before the first video consultation
.
Video consultation hours are a cash benefit.
Difficult assessments via video
The general practitioner Jens Wagenknecht with a practice in Varel, Lower Saxony, offers tele-consultation hours - and knows your possibilities and
limits
.
In his experience, not everything can be safely clarified via video.
For simple questions, for example about skin changes that occur in the nursing home, diagnosis and treatment could be carried out quickly during the video consultation.
On the other hand, it is difficult for the doctor to physically examine his patient.
"In the case of a shortage of breath *, for example, I
can at best give an assessment of
whether it is a critical overall condition," says Wagenknecht, who is also a member of the national board of the family doctors' association.
The right to vote must remain
For Friedrich Köhler, the advantages of telemedicine are that patients do not always have to come to the practice and can still contact the doctor more often and discuss acute events or new complaints more quickly.
The disadvantages: some have reservations about telemedicine, many others simply lack the prerequisites to use it.
"We must not necessarily assume digital competence in the patient," said Köhler.
"
What about a patient with dementia or one without internet access
? Patients have the right to analogue care and this right to choose must be retained."
Many patients are also inhibited in front of the camera, although there is also the opposite case: Köhler refers to reports from
psychotherapy and psychosomatics
, according to which some patients feel safer during video consultations and therefore speak more openly.
Sudden rise due to Corona
During the corona peak, the KBV noticed a sharp increase in video consultation hours and telephone consultations.
But it is also clear, says Stahl: "The
gold standard in care is and will remain direct doctor-patient contact
."
He adds: "The supply process is slowly returning to normal. More people are coming to the practices again."
Info box: Platforms for virtual doctor visits
There are various providers who rely purely on telemedicine.
They have their own platforms for video consultation hours.
These include Teleclinic, Fernarzt, Kry and Zava.
To do this, patients usually first have to install an app and register, explains Stiftung Warentest.
Questions about health in general and the issue in particular follow, after which a doctor will contact you.
In contrast to video consultation hours offered by doctors, the health insurance does not always cover the costs for these offers.
(dpa) * Merkur.de belongs to the Germany-wide Ippen digital editorial network.