Video consultations – the new norm?
Video consultations – the new norm?
Andrew Kelso, Medical Director for Newham Hospital, explains why moving outpatient clinics online is nothing to be scared of – and something we need to do more of.
The past
“Long before Covid-19 stopped people coming in to hospitals, we knew that, for a lot of our outpatients, there wasn’t a need to come to hospital for their appointment. Instead, these consultations and clinics could be done virtually.
“We have been running outpatient clinics and consultations over the phone for many years. These work well, but we know that speaking to someone over the phone, you lose the non-verbal clues. For medical professionals, these non-verbal clues can at times be as important as what the person is actually saying. To address this, we began using video technology.
“Newham Hospital has been spearheading the use of video consultations for years, with the technology being adopted by many disciplines across the hospital, including diabetes and physiotherapy. The outcome has been fantastic. We see that a lot of patients prefer having their appointment virtually as it gives them more flexibility and choice.
“We also garnered some interesting insights. For example, some patients prefer receiving bad news via video consultation because they are hearing it in a familiar environment and don’t have to travel home afterwards.
The present
“When the pandemic hit, we had to switch the majority of our outpatient clinics to virtual because we had to limit the number of people coming on site as part of our infection prevention and control measures
“While this change was borne out of necessity, it has worked in our favour. Covid-19 has made us adapt to using video technology quicker than perhaps we would have which isn’t a bad thing. And it has built the confidence of the patients and medical professionals who use it. However, using video technology in this way can be met with hesitation by both patients and professionals, which is understandable.
“Patients, particularly older ones, can be nervous that they won’t be able to use the technology or that they won’t get the same level of care as with a face-to-face appointment. However, once you speak to them and walk them through the process, they realise how simple it is and become confident using it. We’re also able to provide assurance that there’s capacity to offer translation services with video consultations if people need it.
“Medical professionals, whose training usually revolves around seeing patients in person, can be worried they’ll miss something with a video consultation. All medical professionals who carry out virtual clinics can be provided with full training and supervised for a number of sessions before they use it on their own. There are also a number of education programmes available for professionals on the use of video technology.
“Training on virtual consultations is likely to start becoming integrated into curricula for students and young trainees so they are familiar with it from early on in their career.
The future
“It’s been said that in 10 years or so time, going to a hospital for an outpatient appointment will be like going to the bank to withdraw money – it will rarely happen, but the option to do so it still there.
“Whilst they are not ideal in all scenarios, video consultations certainly appear to be part of the future. That said, it doesn’t mean we will abandon other methods – face-to-face and over the phone entirely. Rather, video is likely become part of a portfolio of options we use to best meet our patients’ needs in the future.
“Ultimately, it will come down to the patient working with their care team to identify the method that works best of them and their condition.
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