Telehealth visits — long-distance meetings of patients and doctors via technology — have increased during the pandemic, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. From late June to early November of last year, an average of about 30% of health care visits took place using telehealth. The agency also found that weekly telehealth visits dropped as COVID-19 cases declined and rose when cases increased.
Dr. Brandon Price, who practices family medicine in Mandan for CHI St. Alexius Health, saw patients virtually during the pandemic.
Price said that among his older patients, the ones who were already familiar with technology such as FaceTime video calls adapted to virtual visits well, but some patients age 65 and older had trouble adapting.
He also said that patients found the visits helpful for discussions about their mental health. Some patients feel a stigma coming in for an appointment about anxiety and depression, Price said.
Dr. Adam Jangula, a psychiatrist with Sanford Health, said the technology works with his field. He said that before the pandemic, mostly rural patients were using telehealth or virtual visits. He wasn’t sure how well patients would accept it, but between one-third to one-half of them want to participate.
“Psychiatry lends itself well to virtual visits,” Jangula said.
Telehealth can break down barriers for patients, he said. It's more convenient for patients who might have transportation or child care needs, for example.
Both providers said they plan to continue to use the virtual visit technology moving forward. Price said that the visits will be useful for things such as adjusting medication or going over lab results.
But there are some things a video call can’t replace. Some physical exams, such as one for a broken arm, have to happen in person. And Jangula said the video calls don’t allow him to see a patient’s entire body, which he might need to observe any “movement issues,” such as balance or coordination problems. Doctors are limited in how much of a patient they can see on screen. Price said that during in-person appointments, he can watch a patient walk down the hall and get a sense of how the person is doing.
“We like to talk and be with our patients,” he said.
Both health care providers said there have been some occasional technical difficulties, such as a microphone or webcam issue, but they’ll continue offering the telehealth option to their patients.
“There’s no reason we shouldn’t do it,” Price said.
© 2021 The Bismarck Tribune (Bismarck, N.D.). Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
