During medical appointments, patients expect their bedside doctor to be equally informative and communicative, focusing on the issues at hand. When these appointments take place virtually, the doctor’s camera plays a big role in ensuring that these tendencies are on full display.
According to the Global Telehealth Survey, 93% of doctors think “that the video quality they deliver via [telemedicine] is critical to the patient experience.”
Dr. Richard Tytus, co-founder and medical director of telemedicine solution Banty Inc. regularly sees his patients in person and virtually. He has learned that for virtual visits to go well, the doctor’s video transmission must be impeccable. This can be achieved by:
- Excellent Lighting: When a patient receives test results, diagnoses, or other pertinent information, he or she must be able to see the physician. To make this possible, all physicians should pay attention to how bright their room is. If the environment is too dark, invest in better lighting solutions (ideally LED bulbs and/or spotlights). Another option is to open the window curtains and brighten the room with natural light.
Image source: PRNewswire - A distraction-free environment: In face-to-face appointments, patients are used to being treated in the exam room in private, without distractions. For virtual visits, doctors should focus on holding appointments in a quiet, private space where interruptions can be avoided. Also, while it’s nice to decorate the room splendidly, too much of it could distract the patient from absorbing all the information being presented to them.
- Upgrade video conferencing equipment: In order for video calls between doctors and patients to go optimally, a medical clinic sometimes needs to invest in new equipment to get the best results. In some cases, this might mean a few new computers, while in others, it might just involve buying a handful of inexpensive webcams or tablets.
- Stay in the frame: Although physicians may have to move to get notes and/or test results, they should do everything in their power to always be in the picture. That way, patients can see that their doctor is paying the utmost attention to them, and they can also help them better understand what the doctor is communicating to them.
- Have an excellent internet connection: Even if all of the above are met, a good doctor-patient video call should have a strong internet connection. This will prevent calls from being repeatedly interrupted or even dropping out altogether.
“For virtual visits, patients need to be provided with an environment in which they can both easily see and hear their doctor,” said Dr. Tytus. “Doing so will motivate these patients to continually book virtual medicine appointments.”
Banty.com’s video calling service provides all subscribers with a custom, permanent URL (i.e. Banty.com/MyMeeting), a secure, end-to-end encrypted meeting room, superior video quality, unlimited monthly meetings, and straightforward scheduling tools.
