Digital
doctors in demand with rise in healthcare apps
A doctor is now just a few taps away, with new mobile phone
applications making it possible for patients to seek consultations without
stepping out of their homes. The ‘digital doctors’ can be visited virtually
though text messages, calls and even video conferencing, making it convenient for
people who are travelling or live in areas with limited medical facilities.
Dahisar- resident Dhriti Adhikary was in a fix when her
one-and-a-half-year-old son suf f ered f rom severe diarrhea during a trip to
Mysore. “Within 30 minutes of connecting with a doctor through an application,
they arranged for us to visit the nearest specialty hospital,” said Adhikary.
While Adhikary used an app in case of an emergency, there are
others like 24-yearold Reetika Patel, a type- 1 diabetic, who uses an app to
measure her blood sugar levels before taking insulin shots. “The application
helps me manage my daily data and gives me a graphical report of how my sugar
levels have been during the week.”
Promoters of such applications said digital healthcare is a
booming i ndustry. An application called TopDoctorsOnline.com, launched in
India three months ago with an in-house team of general practitioners, has had
more than 20,000 downloads and 4,000 doctor-patient interactions. The app
allows users to fix appointments with the nearest healthcare facility,
pathology laboratory and also be up to date with latest trends in
healthcare. See page 17
Diabeto, another app, gives users the
option of selecting endocrinologists and consulting them through video
conferencing. Patients can upload sugar readings, meal timings, pictures of
meals and daily activities for the doctors, who use the information to
prescribe customised dosages of medicine.
Similarly,
Lybrate helps users to consult doctors through chats and manage appointments,
medical records and expenses.
The
companies said their applications try to bridge the gap between the large
number patients and limited supply of doctors. According to the Medical Council
of India, there is one doctor for every 2,000 patients in India. According to
World Bank data, in the United Kingdom (UK) there are on an average five
doctors for every 2,000 patients and the world average is three doctors for
every 2,000 patients.
“We
conceptualised our application to make doctors accessible to people,
irrespective of their economic background,” said Anand Chatterjee, co-founder,
TopDoctorsOnline.com, adding that due to undefined laws on online prescription
medicines in India, their doctors only recommend over-the counter medicines.
Apps
such as ikure, which connect doctors to patients from rural areas, also arrange
for follow-up sessions. “Two days a week, we have our team of doctors visit a
remote area. On the remaining days, our health workers to go these areas and
arrange follow-up sessions between the doctors and patients through our mobile
app,” said Sujay Santra, founder and CEO of Kolkatabased ikure Techsoft Pvt
Ltd.
While
the apps are becoming increasingly popular, there are doctors who warned that
online consultations can result in misdiagnosis. “A patient might say that
he/she has a simple cough. But only a through physical examination can rule out
the possibility of bronchitis, asthma and other lung infections,” said Amit
Patel, a general physician with BSES Hospital in Mumbai, adding that symptoms
described by patients can be easily misconstrued when the consultation happens
online.
Dr SP
Byotra, chairman of the department of medicine at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, New
Delhi, said it is possible to get the history of a patient during an online
consultation, yet, it is very important for a patient to be physically present
in a clinic for an accurate diagnosis. “The first diagnosis must always be in person.
The follow-up may be done online,” he said.
“Such
health-care applications are excellent ancillary help. But they can never
replace a face-to-face patient-doctor interaction,” said Dr Premal Thakor,
physician and endocrinologist, MP Shah Cancer Hospital, Ahmedabad.
Some
doctors are of the opinion that the apps are useful in monitoring symptoms in
cases of chronic conditions such as diabetes. “Most diabetics take their blood
sugar readings on glucometers. However, when they visit the doctor, they usually
forget to carry it with them,” said Dr Mihir Raut, diabetes specialist at
Apollo Sugar clinic, Mumbai. “Apps are an excellent tool as it syncs the data
from the glucometer to the mobile phones, making it easy for doctors to monitor
patient’s sugar level and customise drug and insulin doses.”
Aayushi
Pratap (Inputs from Anonna Dutt, New Delhi)
HT13DEC15
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