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We
believe that a telephone conversation allows our clients to receive
a much better service than a simple e-mail, which can only allow
a simple question and answer - much like writing to the Agony Aunt
in a magazine. With a telephone call, you are able to give more
information to allow the doctor to get a more accurate history,
and it is instant, where as most sites offering e-mail will only
promise to reply within a few days.
This is why we would much rather people spoke to us on the phone,
and why our telephone service was priced very competitively with
other Medical Sites which only allow an e-mail consultation.
Unfortunately we have now had to
withdraw the facility to make telephone consultations, and are only
able to reply to e-mail requests.
As the following article from GP magazine illustrates, others would
agree with us!
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MPS
clarifies use of online consultations.
Medico-legal
experts have clarified their position on Internet consultations
following new GMC draft guidance.
The Medical Protection Society has responded to GMC advice
that diagnosis 'will usually involve at least an initial consultation
with the patient [in person]'.
MPS head of policy Dr Gerard Panting said that while the NHS
Plan called for alternative means of patient consultation,
GPs needed to be clear about the pitfalls of online consultations.
He said: 'I would not say it is never possible to prescribe
online but what we are saying is if there is any doubt GPs
should not do it.'
Dr Panting said, in terms of information available to a GP,
the difference between an online [e-mail] consultation and
a telephone consultation was about the same as that between
a face-to-face and a telephone consultation.
He added: 'On the phone patients can still convey an impression
of how ill they are, but online, keyboard skills are a constraint
on communication.'
He added that consultations online were rarely 'in real time'
as a message may be hours old.
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GP
December 1 2000 p18
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