Masks and quarantines are disappearing, what about teleporters? Patients need to know that

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From March 28, one of the last covid restrictions was lifted: wearing protective masks, isolation and quarantine. However, these were not the only other precautionary measures we have had in the past two years. During the pandemic, we also used telepaths, i.e. telephone medical consultations. Will they also disappear and we will return to stationary visits?

1. The health ministry has not announced any significant changes to the teleportation system
2. In practice, this means that the patient has the right to a telephone consultation with a doctor, but the latter will be able to oblige the patient to visit a health care facility.
3. Teleporting is not possible in all situations. They must visit a doctor, among others people with an exacerbation of a chronic disease and parents with children under 6 years of age
4. So far, many medics are not enthusiastic about teleportation. They appeal for caution and treating telephone consultations as a supplementary form, not a substitute for the patient’s treatment
5. More information can be found on the Onet homepage

What’s next with telepaths?

Health Minister Adam Niedzielski, informing that the ministry would recommend the Prime Minister to lift the recent restrictions, did not mention any modifications to the teleporting system. The last change in this regard took place in January this year, when GPs were required to physically examine patients 60+ with coronavirus. Visit with patients within 48 hours. from the moment they received a positive PCR test result, it was to help in the rapid diagnosis and treatment of COVID-19, so as to minimize the risk of hospitalization. This idea met with great opposition from the medical community.

1. Read also: Examination of an infected senior within 48 hours? Family doctor: that’s bullshit

Now, the Ministry of Health is not talking about teleports, however According to the statements of representatives of individual branches of the National Health Fund (NFZ), there have been no changes in this system.

– There is no change in teleportation. They are still available – Magdalena Mil, a spokeswoman for the Warmia and Mazury Provincial Branch of the National Health Fund, told Radio Olsztyn.

The spokesman of the Podkarpackie National Health Fund spoke in a similar vein for “Nowiny”. – Nothing will change. P.The patient, of course, still has the right to say whether he wants teleportation or a personal visit. But in general, the decision is made by the doctor, who is responsible for the patient’s health – indicated Rafał Śliż, the branch’s spokesman.

The rest of the text below the video.

When is it possible to use teleportation and when should you come to the clinic?

Patients still therefore have the right to teleconsult their doctor, though many clinics recommend that this type of visit be selected in specific situations, not requiring an appointment with a specialist. This includes consulting test results, issuing or extending a prescription, sick leave (L4) or referrals (for examinations or a visit to a specialist) or seeking advice on matters where a medical examination is not obligatory does not affect the assessment given by the doctor.

A little more doubt arises in the case of respiratory tract infections. It is recommended that in the presence of typical cold symptoms, such as runny nose, sore throat, headache, fatigue, slightly elevated body temperature, it is recommended to limit leaving home to rest, rehydrate and symptomatic treatment by natural means or with the use of over-the-counter medications. You can also consult a doctor by phone and ask for a hint on how to deal with the symptoms of infection.

However, if our condition worsens or the symptoms are very severe at once (for example, we have a high fever that is difficult to beat), it is better to make an appointment immediately, so that the doctor can check us. Consultation at the clinic is also necessary in the case of people at risk of a severe course of this type of infection (not only COVID-19) and complications, i.e. in children, seniors, chronically ill and people with reduced immunity.

It is also worth remembering that telephone consultation will not be possible in every situation. People with chronic diseases who have noticed exacerbation of the disease, cancer patients and people suspected of having cancer, as well as children under the age of 6 must visit the clinic. All these patients require a physical examination and a direct meeting with a doctor.

Telepaths “arose” before the pandemic

Telepaths are not “a product” of a pandemic, but before its outbreak, they were indeed rare – they were offered mainly by private facilities, and even to a limited extent. They were supposed to change that new regulations on primary health care, which were developed in 2019. According to them, POZ units were obliged to provide two hours a week for teleporting.

Interestingly, these regulations entered into force on January 1, 2020, so almost on the eve of the pandemic. There was even a press conference on this matter with the participation of the then president of the National Health Fund, and today’s minister of health, Adam Niedzielski, but it was still postponed due to the epidemiological threat. Eventually, teleporting not only entered the healthcare system, but also spread, significantly exceeding two hours a week.

Has such a model worked? Opinions are contradictory. On the one hand, patients and doctors praised the convenience and time saved. It turned out that many consultations do not require a meeting with a doctor – it was about extending the prescription, issuing a medical certificate or advice that does not require a physical examination. On the other hand, many patients withdrew from medical consultations completely, which translated into later diagnosis of diseases and – as experts say – an increase in the number of excess deaths in Poland.

1. See also: Excess deaths. Poland at the top of the infamous ranking

This is why there are still discussions around teleportation, in which the medical community is at the fore. One of the most important concerns is that of substituting teleconsultation for treating a patient instead of treating them as a complementary form. Many doctors call for limiting them to a minimum, and above all, perceiving them only as an introduction to further diagnosis of the patient.

The position on this matter was adopted in mid-March by the Presidium of the Polish Alliance of Trade Unions (OPZZ). It stressed that “despite the gradual unfreezing of the health care system in a pandemic, teleporting is still abused and treated on a par with a patient’s personal visit to the office«.

– (…) we evaluate this form of treatment negatively in situations where it is a substitute, not a supporting form, of accessing patients to doctors. We are also concerned about the announced future expansion of the use of telepaths in night and holiday health care. – we read in the statement of the OPZZ.

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