Video doctor?

Gone Drinking

Saw an advertisement the other day for an app called "Babylon". Stated "See an Irish GP by video within minutes for 7.99 a month".

So I decided to look into it (thinking maybe it was some bs) and its legit. You can arrange an appointment (usually in under 30 minutes) and one of the Irish GPs who signed up for it will call you by video. Or you can just chose to text a question and they'll text you back.

They're available 12 hours a day, 6 days a week. Aviva are including it as part of one of their health packages.

You're probably thinking what about prescriptions? Well they can be posted to you, or sent directly to a local chemist of your choice for collection.

So this begs the question, would you trust the advice of someone who can't physically examine you? Its a good idea if you've got a simple question to ask or an illness that you know yourself isn't serious. I can't count the amount of times I've went to the doctor with a very mild problem and it cost me 50 quid.

Obviously there are things a video GP can't review for you, that would warrant a trip to see your local GP but for some things, it seems to me like a good idea.

Edit: I'd be really interested to see what a doctor who wasn't signed up for this thinks of it, if there's any floating around here!

Edit: Here's a video of the app explained by the creator

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nCazASHbyeY

[/QUOTE]

Gone Drinking

Gone Drinking wrote: »

Saw an advertisement the other day for an app called "Babylon". Stated "See an Irish GP by video within minutes for 7.99 a month".

So I decided to look into it (thinking maybe it was some bs) and its legit. You can arrange an appointment (usually in under 30 minutes) and one of the Irish GPs who signed up for it will call you by video. Or you can just chose to text a question and they'll text you back.

They're available 12 hours a day, 6 days a week. Aviva are including it as part of one of their health packages.

You're probably thinking what about prescriptions? Well they can be posted to you, or sent directly to a local chemist of your choice for collection.

So this begs the question, would you trust the advice of someone who can't physically examine you? Its a good idea if you've got a simple question to ask or an illness that you know yourself isn't serious. I can't count the amount of times I've went to the doctor with a very mild problem and it cost me 50 quid.

Obviously there are things a video GP can't review for you, that would warrant a trip to see your local GP but for some things, it seems to me like a good idea.

Edit: I'd be really interested to see what a doctor who wasn't signed up for this thinks of it, if there's any floating around here!

As a pharmacist. I think it's nuts. How you going measure heart rate? Blood pressure?

Gone Drinking

Deleted User wrote: »

As a pharmacist. I think it's nuts. How you going measure heart rate? Blood pressure?

Forgot to mention that you can buy equipment that links to the app that will check these for you. It will record and track your readings and upload them for your video GP to review, even the historic stuff gets saved.

kneemos

If I'm getting a prescription I'd like to be examined first in fairness.

Aidric

Gone Drinking wrote: »

Saw an advertisement the other day for an app called "Babylon". Stated "See an Irish GP by video within minutes for 7.99 a month".

So it's a subscription service? What sorts of get out clauses are built in to the subscription. If it's a minimum 1 year subscription then you have more than covered the cost of a visit to your GP.

Given that most people visit their GP once a year then I can't see the benefit of this. I'd much rather a physical examination by my GP than a skype diagnosis on a patchy wifi connection.

Mr_Muffin

Provide a piece of kit that measures heart rate, blood pressure etc that is easy to use with the results sent to the online doc then this could be a great idea.

If he can issue sick certs for work then even better.

Mint Aero

Pants around ankles, yeah yeah sore throat, fever, headache yeah yeah, get your top off love.

Gone Drinking

Aidric wrote: »

So it's a subscription service? What sorts of get out clauses are built in to the subscription. If it's a minimum 1 year subscription then you have more than covered the cost of a visit to your GP.

Given that most people visit their GP once a year then I can't see the benefit of this. I'd much rather a physical examination by my GP than a skype diagnosis on a patchy wifi connection.

I haven't looked into it that much, im not sure if you need to sign up for a year or if you can do it monthly.

You can go for one month free however, and cancel without paying a penny if you want to give it a go. Like netflicks :pac:

The Diabolical Monocle

*prints out pic of glaucoma eyes*

MOH

I'd signed up for a trial and forgotten about it.
Ended up having to go to the doctor for something, which ended up with me being referred to the hospital for a test based on the symptoms I described to the doctor - it wasn't the kind of thing the doctor could have physically examined.

Was only afterwards I realised it's exactly the kind of thing the app would have been ideal for, could have saved myself the doctor's fee.

SeaFields

Like lots of health plans, we have a 24 hour nurse line in our policy. If you're concerned about something, and having a baby in the house will do that, you can give them a ring and they'll explain either home care for the problem or visiting the gp / hospital if needs be. Is this much different?

Smiles35

I can imagine a few angry doctors on the webcam dealing with people checking to 'confirm' a self diagnosis from a search on the web.

Tigger

The Diabolical Monocle wrote: »

*prints out pic of glaucoma eyes*

srsly i have a rich friend in america that basically does this

Mr. Incognito

Most doctors only phone it in anyway

YFlyer

Gone Drinking wrote: »

Forgot to mention that you can buy equipment that links to the app that will check these for you. It will record and track your readings and upload them for your video GP to review, even the historic stuff gets saved.

Who standardise the equipment?

Gone Drinking

SeaFields wrote: »

Like lots of health plans, we have a 24 hour nurse line in our policy. If you're concerned about something, and having a baby in the house will do that, you can give them a ring and they'll explain either home care for the problem or visiting the gp / hospital if needs be. Is this much different?

I've the same on my health plan and they can really only ever give you limited advice, any time I've rang them they've said go see a doctor. At the end of the day, they're not qualified to give you any sort of diagnosis or prognosis so what they can tell you is limited because its their arse on the line.

You'd be talking to a qualified Irish doctor with this app, not a nurse*

*By no means am I taking away from the work nurses do, my own mother was a nurse. They're fantastic.

Gone Drinking

YFlyer wrote: »

Who standardise the equipment?

The company that made the app, i think. I've not looked into this much being honest! I'm more interested in what the general consensus of people on it is!

Here's a video about it from the guy who created it:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nCazASHbyeY

Gone Drinking

Watching a bit of that video, looks like you can get referrals from it. It will also store videos of your previous GP calls for you to watch when you like, your medical records, xrays, MRI's etc are all also stored in the cloud.

Pretzill

Seems like a good idea my only fear with it could be a rise in cases of Munchausan's by proxy...server.

semionova

How much is it. Might beat paying 65 euro for 20 mins.

Although the human touch is important.

Your doctor can tell a lot about you as a person etc. You can open up.

uch

semionova wrote: »

How much is it. Might beat paying 65 euro for 20 mins.

Although the human touch is important.

Your doctor can tell a lot about you as a person etc. You can open up.

Especially if the doctor needs to stick his finger up your hole !!

DrGreenthumb

Gone Drinking wrote: »

Edit: I'd be really interested to see what a doctor who wasn't signed up for this thinks of it, if there's any floating around here!

I'll tell you what I think about it over skype for €4.99

Canis Lupus

How does the doctor provide you with a prescription? I imagine this is nothing but an app that would appeal to/is good for 'scamming' hypochondriacs for minor things. Anything that's slightly more important really requires you being there physically.

anncoates

Might be handy for recurring stuff. Like when your kids get something like an ear infection for the umpteenth time and you know what it is and what medicine they're going to be prescribed but still have to stump up 50 euro but I'd still prefer to present them and me on person just in case, especially if you have a good GP you trust, as is our case.

Grayson

I have a stomach condition that I need a prescription for. In nearly every country you can get it without a prescription. It's annoying having to pay for a visit to a doctor to get it.

conorh91

I think it's a brilliant idea. This is the kind of service the government should make available to GMS patients, whom most doctors will tell you arrive in the GP's surgery over the most minor sniffle. Technology like this could save a lot of money, and potentially allow greater access to healthcare at the same time.

Lia_lia

Deleted User wrote: »

As a pharmacist. I think it's nuts. How you going measure heart rate? Blood pressure?

What do you think of the Lylod's online doctor where you can get the contraceptive pill prescription through the website? I've never used it myself, but it's very popular with some of my friends!

I don't know what to make of this App really. Interesting idea. Good for the odd question I guess! Luckily I get doctors appointments free through work.

Gongoozler

Llyods online and the rest AFAIK require a copy of your blood pressure print out from a pharmacy before they will prescribe the pill to you. I think it's a decent service to offer. I think for what they're doing they could charge less than €25, but most would just be happy it's not twice that.

It's the way forward. the medical council has no problem with it. It's becoming more and more popular. I don't see why not. Obviously they refer you to see a doctor in person if it's necessary.

_Whimsical_

I wonder if they provide medical certs for work?
How would they know if your throat was genuinely sore or your lymph nodes genuinely swollen? How would they know when it's appropriate to prescribe antibiotics in a case of a cough that could be flu or pneumonia without listening to your chest? We are constantly hearing that over prescribing antibiotics unnecessarily is a very serious public health issue.

Also I'd feel a bit iffy about my doctors consultations being taped and stored "in the cloud". We all know how secure the cloud is, no one with sense stores anything online that they wouldn't be ok with sharing publicly these days.