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The use of telephone visits has become common in recent years and accelerated during the Corona epidemic.
The various HMOs currently allow their patients to make a telephone appointment as an alternative to visiting the clinic, as well as video services and additional virtual interfaces, which increase the availability of appointments and save time for patients.
However, remote visits also create quite a few challenges for the doctors, who are sometimes required to give diagnoses and prescriptions without physically examining their patients.
A new study, the results of which were recently published in the well-respected international medical magazine Healthcare, examined for the first time the attitudes of doctors in Israel regarding the practice.
The study, carried out by the researchers of the Faculty of Health Systems Management at the Academic Center for Law and Business,
Prof. Yoram Belsher
and
Dr. Tamar Shalom
, and the Ashkelon Academic College,
Dr. Esnat Bashkin
, in collaboration with Klalit Health Services, examined the perceptions of family doctors and pediatricians in three Aspects of using a telephone visit: the quality of care, the safety of care and the satisfaction of doctors.
342 male and female doctors from around the country participated in the study, and in-depth interviews were conducted with 26 doctors.
Doctors from the ultra-orthodox sector expressed lower satisfaction
The findings of the study show that doctors expressed satisfaction with the use of the telephone visit, however regarding the quality and safety of the treatment, the estimates were lower.
80% of the respondents believed that it is recommended to combine a face-to-face visit with a telephone visit, and 51% stated that the inability to examine the patients closely affects the doctor's decision-making and delays him.
Most of the interviewees stated that it is desirable to perform a telephone visit only with patients whom the doctor knows.
Doctors from the ultra-orthodox sector expressed lower satisfaction with the telephone visit compared to the general sector and the Arab sector.
The research findings are similar to the findings of other studies carried out in the world, and also indicate high satisfaction among doctors with the use of the tool but concerns about the quality and safety of the treatment.
The results of the study emphasize the need for careful use of telephone visits in the health system while adhering to the following recommendations: conducting telephone visits mainly with patients the doctor knows and has previously met in the clinic and when there is no need for a physical examination.
Implementation of technological upgrades that will improve the quality of the service such as transfer of images and documents, video integration, etc.
And also, educating the patients about the cases that are suitable for requesting a telephone visit.
Prof. Yoram Belsher, Dean of the Faculty of Health Systems Management and President of the Academic Center for Law and Business: "The research we carried out for the first time sheds light on the perceptions of family doctors and pediatricians regarding the use of telephone visits, and emphasizes the importance of moderate use of this tool. There is no doubt that telephone visits are an important tool And it is effective nowadays, which will only continue to expand with the advancement of technology, but this must not come at the expense of the quality of treatment. Therefore, as part of the research recommendations, we established a number of principles, which are intended on the one hand to reduce the damage to the quality and safety of the treatment on the part of the doctors and on the other hand to encourage raising awareness among the patients as well."
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