You know the drill. You schlep to the doctor’s office and wait for what seems like hours — despite having an appointment. As the time ticks away, your frustration level rises, along with the number of other commitments you are missing.
That’s today. But tomorrow holds promise for virtual improvement — literally.
In the not-too-distant future, a doctor’s visit may be just a click away.
Imagine having your appointment conducted as you sit comfortably in front of your home computer screen, describing symptoms or asking questions of a doctor via videoconference, and having your doctor respond in kind from the office. Need a blood pressure reading? A special cuff downloads it directly into your computer — and to your doctor in real time, just like in a face-to-face appointment.
It may sound farfetched, but virtual medicine is already happening on a trial basis in Boston, and more broadly elsewhere in the country, with Hawaii leading the way. Also in development: widespread use of Web cameras, instant messaging, and other e-technology to help ease healthcare costs, and relieve the burden that scheduling often represents.
There are clearly some limits to the new technology. It can’t, for example, be used for a gynecological check up, or many other physical exams.
But adaptations — such as the special blood pressure cuff — make it possible to do things that heretofore seemed possible only in person.
But is it good for patients? New studies — including a recent one that is Boston-based — suggest virtual medicine may win fans from both sides of the stethoscope.
Dr. Ronald Dixon, an internist at Massachusetts General Hospital who uses videoconferencing in his practice, is the senior author of a recent Boston survey comparing patient satisfaction with virtual visits versus face-to-face doctor’s visits. The study, published in the Journal of Telemedicine and Telecare, involved 175 patients,…