Are Virtual Visits A Viable Alternative to In-Person Visits from a Healthcare Professional Perspective?

Abstract

The COVID Pandemic has changed the way that various parts of healthcare perform interactions and business with patients. This is very true for Orthopaedics. It seemed to be a difficult process to think of when stating a virtual visit for Orthopaedic injuries. It is important that wounds are evaluated, radiographs are taken, etc. to ensure that the correct care is given. It is also important to ensure that the virtual information and process can be easily understood by patient, staff, and physicians. Virtual visits require the use of an application that can call and/or provide video. There must also be access to an EMR/EHR to document the visit and provide the necessary information to setup the virtual visit. The most important issue to determine when looking at the implementation of virtual visits is to understand how the physicians and staff feel about the procedural change. The users are an important aspect of understanding the issues, concerns, as well as the favorable aspects of a system. If the users are not satisfied with the virtual visits, the system could be less used which would result in a decrease in revenue. These factors will allow organizations to focus on reducing and/or eliminating issues that could cause the virtual visit to be unsuccessful and/or misuse of valuable resources. The best way to assess this is to pose various questions that will look at productivity, time management, satisfaction, advantages, and disadvantages of the virtual program. The results from polling and providing questionnaires to physicians and staff can assist with choosing a system or process that better serves the patients and those who utilize the system. Virtual visits are about convenience as well as providing an alternative of care that can be as beneficial as in person visits. Overall, the opinions and insight from the physicians and staff who utilize the virtual visit program will be beneficial to ensuring that virtual visits are a viable alternative to in-person visits, user friendly, and accomplishes the goal of providing superb patient care.