- A doctor made a call to attention to his colleagues through social networks; “diagnoses can be made without the need for a medical consultation.”
- However, his statement started a debate between before and NOW, especially emphasizing the importance of medical examination.
- Consultations by WhatsApp, the best option?
A medical he made a call to his colleagues through social networks; “Performing diagnoses without the need for a medical consultation is possible.”
“To those who say that a diagnosis is not made without a medical consultation, I remind you of the story of James Parkinson. That pioneer of neurology diagnosed the first cases of the disease that bears his name while they were walking down the street (there was no TikTok at that time)“.
To those who say that a diagnosis is not made without a medical consultation, I remind you of the story of James Parkinson. That pioneer of neurology diagnosed the first cases of the disease that bears his name while they were walking down the street (at that time there was no TikTok). pic.twitter.com/s9BXhmbDRR
– Diego Rosselli (@darosselli) June 14, 2022
However, his statement started a debate between the before and the NOW, especially making Emphasis on the importance of medical examination and the ancient methods that existed in the past.
“The past is not always a good example. Let’s just look at the “Father of Modern Gynecology”, J. Marion Sims who performed vaginal surgeries without anesthesia on black slaves between 1845 and 1849 “for practice”. The man has a statue in Central Park in New York,” said one of the users.
The past is not always a good example. Let’s just look at the “Father of Modern Gynecology”, J. Marion Sims who performed vaginal surgeries without anesthesia on black slaves between 1845 and 1849 “for practice”. The Lord has statue in Central Park in New York.
– German Maldonado (@germanalfonsoma) June 15, 2022
Consultations by WhatsApp, the best option?
Although the queries by WhatsApp have become increasingly common, some doctors reject them, highlighting the importance of physical examination and direct contact with the patient.
yesMore and more healthcare professionals are using this app
However, more and more health professionals are using this messaging app in their work environment with some of the following objectives:
- Facilitate communication with the patient: WhatsApp can help resolve specific questions remotely or even monitor a patient. Above all, it is an ideal option for those who live in rural areas or have difficulties to go to the consultation.
- Sharing information with other professionals: In health, dialogue with other professionals is something constant, either to ask for a second opinion on a diagnosis or treatment or to ask about the result of a test.
- To learn: Although the main objective of this app is to send and receive messages, another possibility is to create groups with other professionals, something that can become real discussion forums for current medical issues.
Disadvantages of using WhatsApp for medical consultation
Although WhatsApp has the advantages that we have mentioned, it is also true that this app has some drawbacks for queries that mean that, until they are solved, its use is discouraged.
Among these drawbacks are the following:
- Can deteriorate the relationship between doctor and patient. This is because the dialogue through WhatsApp is usually shorter, with less detail and more impersonal.
- If you do not manage to set the appropriate limits, you can reach experience constant interruptions that will make it difficult for you to correctly carry out your face-to-face work in consultation.
- Diagnosis via WhatsApp can cause major medical errors that would be avoided in the face-to-face consultation.
- Inquiries made through WhatsApp they lack traceability and the results or impressions are not dumped into the clinical history, something that prevents the correct follow-up of the patients.
- Although the biggest drawback of using WhatsApp in the health sector is the possible breach of patient privacy. Although the messages sent through WhatsApp are encrypted (that is, only the sender and the receiver can see them), the information is stored on the mobile, so that anyone who has access to your device can see the content.
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