With the nature of health care shifting during this time, virtual visits play an important role in the health and safefty of Dignity Health Medical Group Patients. The following story about the success of virtual visits is by Dr. Pam Davis with Dignity Health Medical Group – Northridge Family Medicine.
Family physicians have been practicing telehealth for years. We called patients after hours or when they were on vacations, at work or when they couldn’t come in. We tried to help them when they needed care.
One of the few positive results of this pandemic has been the rapid deployment of video visit platforms for our patients and physicians and other health care providers. They allow us to provide safe and effective care in the safety of the patient’s home, without exposing the health care team or patients and conserving valuable resources like Personal Protective Equipment.
My very first video visit was for a new patient. It turned out she was the friend of a long time patient of mine and anxious to make a change to a new doctor. We spent a good twenty five minutes getting to know her various medical issues and concerns. She used the video platform well and moved around her home on camera with ease.
My job is to teach young doctors. I often mention that for me one of the signs of a “successful” visit is one that allows a patient to express their deepest emotional concerns and fears. For some patients this means that they may cry during a visit so I always make sure we have a box of tissues nearby.
At the end of this, my first video visit, the patient told me about her concerns and why she wanted a new doctor. She felt that her other physician didn’t care about her and didn’t advocate for her. That’s when she started to cry. Although I didn’t have tissues to offer, I offered her my promise that I would do my best to be her family doctor.
I ended this video visit feeling that as we start this new era of family medicine, there is hope that the next generation of family physicians using video and all sorts of technology, can still connect with each patient as we have always done, using the same traits of human compassion, kindness and caring that we have always used. The medium may change but the connections we make are still the same.
To schedule a virtual visit with Dr. Davis, call 747-755-6139
