Doctor on Demand
As any mother knows, sending your kids back to school can be a bit of a scary experience. Whether it be rough-housing with other kids, the seasonal flu, or just plain germs, you worry that your children will be feeling less than great. One of the most difficult decisions for parents is when to take a child to the doctor. With the rise in healthcare costs, simple office visits can be pretty pricey, but you don’t want to risk your child being severely ill. And let’s face it, who wants to be stuck in a stuffy waiting room with other people’s children that are probably ill too?
Luckily, there is Doctor On Demand. This free app allows to you have a video chat with specialists in internal medicine, psychology, pediatrics, pregnancy and newborn care. It it completely free to register simple to create an account. Doctor on Demand can also be accessed on your desktop computer or laptop, which allows real doctors to look at an injury or symptoms of illness to diagnose and prescribe the appropriate medicine if necessary.
Before any visit, make sure you are prepared. Make a list of symptoms and any medications that you or your child are currently taking. Another thing that is helpful is to take pictures of any visible symptoms, injuries, abrasions, etc. The pictures are important, especially if you have a wiggly child who might be extra agitated if they are uncomfortable. Being prepared will help the doctor provide the speediest and most accurate care possible.
After you have everything you need, you can go and meet the doctors and read up on their credentials as well as their specialties. You also have the option to ‘favorite’ doctors after your first visit. Next is the point where you’ll schedule your appointment. You can choose further in the future or for the next available appointment, and with such a great variety of doctors, the wait won’t be long like in a regular office. The app will then carry you through a few questions, such as the length of symptom(s), medications, and other medical conditions. Once that is done, your doctor will call you at the appointed time and you and the doctor will be able to see and hear each other, just like a regular doctor’s visit. After the doctor has had a look at your child (or you), they will provide you with a remedy. They even have the ability to send a prescription to the pharmacy of your choice!
Doctor On Demand is a wonderful app that can quickly help put your mind at ease in many ways, however there are a few limitations. A video visit can’t substitute an annual physical with a primary care physician. Chronic conditions that need regular treatment or complex issues that might require testing or X-rays should be handled by your regular doctor.
When my children were very young, they would always get themselves into trouble, and being the worry wart I am, the doctor’s night nurse received many desperate phone calls from me. They could give me advice of course, but they would not be able to give a real diagnosis the way that a Doctor On Demand physician can. Oh how I wish Doctor on Demand was around when my kids were little!
Now that children are going back to school, sickness is bound to happen! Let’s face it, kids are adorable little germ factories, and by the time mine graduated, I had dealt with the flu, strep throat, pink eye, vomiting, diarrhea, and swimmer’s ear, just to name a few. Doctor on Demand would have saved so much time and frustration with trying to make my children feel better.
Check-in with a Doctor On Demand physician or pediatrician to go over any health-related questions or concerns you might have, before the school year kicks off! Best of luck and a Healthy Back-to-School!
