10 Conditions Where It Might Be Appropriate To Talk To A Doctor Online

Gone are the days when you needed to see a GP in person to get a medical certificate. The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way we live, work and shop, and the healthcare industry has not gone untouched either. More and more people are choosing to talk to a doctor online as opposed to exposing themselves to potential COVID outbreaks in the waiting room. And coupled with how much pressure the pandemic has put on parents and individuals working from home, telehealth is emerging as the new norm for non-life-threatening conditions.

If you’re curious about the most common conditions you might be able to see an online doctor for or are wondering if your condition warrants an in-person assessment, go through this list to find out if telehealth might be for you:

If you’re having cold and flu symptoms, the very first thing you should do is get yourself tested for COVID. Because COVID symptoms are often quite similar to cold and flu symptoms, they can be confused with each other, and heading to a doctor’s waiting room with a runny and stuffy nose, sore throat or cough could put everyone in the clinic in danger if it turns out that you do have the virus.

Even if you’re 99% sure that you will test negative for the virus, the 1% risk is 1% too much to put on people. Talk to an online doctor about your symptoms while you wait for your test results. There’s no harm in being cautious!

Pink eye, or conjunctivitis, is a highly contagious condition that spreads through close contact. When at a doctor’s clinic, you may rub your eye and then use the same hand to open a door. The next person to open the door and then touch his face will contract the virus/bacteria and develop pink eye. It may also spread through coughing and sneezing. Because it is so easily diagnosable just by looking at the symptoms, consulting an online doctor may be best.

Similar to cold and flu symptoms, allergies may present themselves as a sore throat, sneezing and a runny nose and itchy eyes. However, while allergies aren’t contagious, they also often do not warrant having to spend hours travelling to a clinic and then waiting for a consultation. A simple video call with a doctor often does the trick.

Bacterial infections like UTIs are easily diagnosed through the signs and symptoms, and usually require a simple round of antibiotics to treat. This can be quite easily done over the phone, and you may even get a prescription mailed to you for your antibiotics.

There can be many causes of vomiting and diarrhea, from a simple stomach bug, food poisoning or even COVID-19. Once your tests have returned a negative result, you may proceed to get in touch with an online doctor, who can prescribe medication to relieve your symptoms after talking to you about your symptoms.

If you’ve suddenly started experiencing male pattern alopecia, or ringworm or any other form of hair loss, a doctor may be able to quite easily diagnose it through pictures or a video call.

Patients with chronic diseases, such as diabetes, high cholesterol or high blood pressure, whose condition is fairly stable and only require routine checkups may benefit from online doctor consultations.

The advent of telehealth has been a game-changer for people suffering from depression or anxiety. And with the increased pressure put on our mental health the past year, with frequent lockdowns, anxiety around getting sick, losing loved ones and income, it is no wonder we’d like easy access to our therapists to get us through this tough time. Fortunately, therapy and counselling can both be conducted through video call, and often, the therapist may be reached even on short notice. 

If you simply need to see a doctor to get a repeat prescription for your chronic health condition, you can easily skip the clinic visit and waiting rooms and get your prescription repeated online.

An online doctor may be able to diagnose and treat common skin conditions such as rashes, acne, cold sores, eczema, psoriasis and rosacea through a video call or through pictures of the affected area. In case the pictures are not clear, or the doctor needs to look at the area more thoroughly, they may suggest an in-person visit.

If you’re suffering from any of the above conditions, talk to a doctor online today and save yourself a significant amount of time, money and risk of exposure to disease!

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