Getting an MC – and medicine in 90 min – on your phone? We tested it out
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Getting an MC – and medicine in 90 min – on your phone? We tested it out
CNA Lifestyle roadtests the new medical collaboration with Grab that says you tin go a consultation, medical certificate and drugs you need without leaving your house.
Is telemedicine for everyone? (Photo: Unsplash)
02 Sep 2022 06:30AM (Updated: 13 Aug 2022 02:46PM)
We have all had our share of ill days when we didn't experience like putting pants on and leaving our home.
So when Catch emailed CNA Lifestyle about its new collaboration with WhiteCoat, an app that lets you consult a proper general practitioner (GP) via your telephone, we were intrigued.
You lot mean I don't have to go out of bed and crawl to my dispensary to get an MC?
Other than making sure my upper body was decently clothed, there didn't seem to exist much else for me to exercise during the mock consultation they had ready, except download the WhiteCoat app, fire it up and wait for a md to accept the video call.
Merely hang on, how would the doctor take my temperature and claret pressure level? And is the medical document (MC) actually legit?
ARE THESE PEOPLE Real DOCTORS?
WhiteCoat isn't new to the telemedicine game in Singapore; others such equally Doctor Anywhere and MyDoc were already launched a few years ago.
Even and then, I couldn't help just wonder: Are these doctors the existent affair? I sure didn't desire to become medical communication from a chatbot.
According to WhiteCoat'southward chief executive officer and founder Bryan Koh, the in-house medical team consists of Singapore-registered GPs.
They come from "leading hospitals and private healthcare providers" and have "a minimum of ten years of experience on boilerplate," he said.
WhiteCoat has been around since 2018 and has been canonical by Singapore'southward Ministry of Wellness to "diagnose, treat and manage a wide range of acute and chronic weather," said Koh.
To engagement, the elevation mutual health issues that come through the app include upper respiratory tract infection, gastroenteritis, headache/fever, pare weather and musculoskeletal pain. And it tin also exist used to call in for your child.
SO... I HAVE A 'Common cold'
After answering a few queries on the app about the "disquiet" I had and my drug allergies, I dialled in and received a message that my appointed doctor was still decorated with a patient.
I continued checking my emails without losing my place in the virtual queue.
A few minutes afterwards, I received a notification that my video phone call was set to be continued – to a person and non an avatar.
It was Dr Whitney Chua, one of WhiteCoat'southward six GPs, and she was video-calling me from WhiteCoat's licensed clinic at Henderson Road.
Dr Chua said that there are at to the lowest degree one or ii doctors on duty at any time during their operation hours (8am to 12am daily, including public holidays), with 4 to half dozen rostered during tiptop periods.
HOW DOES THE Dr. MEASURE MY TEMPERATURE AND BLOOD Pressure?
Admittedly, the physical test is limited, said Dr Chua. "Patients are encouraged to measure their temperature and blood force per unit area prior to the video consultation if they have the relevant devices at dwelling," she said.
Of class, I didn't take one of those blood force per unit area gadgets. And the batteries in my digital thermometer were apartment.
READ: Patients value convenience of telemedicine for checkups: Study
In that location are ways to go around that, namely verbal and visual cues, explained Dr Chua. For instance, they ask detailed questions about the patient'southward symptoms.
I told her I had chills, body aches, sore throat, cough and a runny nose – symptoms I cobbled together to paint a picture of the mutual cold for my mock consultation.
Dr Chua said that if they assessed that patients accept to have their temperature and blood pressure measured, or that a condition that may non exist accordingly treated via telemedicine, they refer the patients to a physical GP clinic, specialist or an A&E service provider.
The consultation fee of South$25 will besides be waived.
ISN'T Information technology EASY TO Fake AN Affliction ONLINE TO GET AN MC?
Surely, it would exist more difficult to run into through a patient'south act on camera? To check my "sore pharynx", Dr Chua asked me to open my rima oris and bring my phone closer to information technology.
"I am looking at the video of you on a desktop monitor, so I can see you lot clearer than you lot see me on your telephone," she said. "And with today's phone camera capabilities, video quality is non an upshot."
"We are trained to tell how ill the patient is from his or her facial expressions and advent."
"Okay," added Dr Chua, "you look fine."
READ: Telemedicine not ideal for kids with respiratory infections
If the lighting is poor, the doctor may inquire the patient to become virtually the window for a better source of calorie-free. Mostly, the standard lighting in whatsoever room is sufficient. "We've even had patients call in while on the MRT," she said.
"But if it's at night and I can't see your features or verify that information technology'due south you on the video call, I cannot embark the session."
Other visual cues tin can come up from uploaded pictures of your symptoms. "This is especially useful for diagnosing rashes," she said.
I was also asked to press on my cheeks to check for soreness. "It's to help me assess if you have sinusitis."
WHAT Most MEDICINE? I DON'T Demand MORE PANADOL
When it comes to the prescription, they have to brand sure the patient isn't allergic to whatsoever medicine, said Dr Chua.
"For kickoff-time patients, nosotros need to assess their potential reactions to the medicine. So we'd ask more questions."
Returning patients – peculiarly those with chronic conditions such every bit diabetes or hypertension, and require long-term medication – may be asked some questions again to take into account recent medical developments such as a centre attack.
For my "upper respiratory tract infection", or dr.-speak for the cold, Dr Chua prescribed Telfast D, Panadol and lozenges. Just I didn't demand Panadol as I had some at abode, I said. Could that be removed? Yep, and easily done, too, by unticking the item.
In fact, I could choose to unselect all the medicine if I wanted to.
I didn't put the GrabExpress function of the service to the test only Koh said that patients would receive their sealed and temper-evident package within xc minutes. I just had to specify the address and delivery time.
"This partnership with GrabExpress reduces the patients' waiting time for the delivery of their medication from the current average of three hours," he said.
SO IS THE MC ACTUALLY RECOGNISED?
At the end of my viii-minute video call (minus the time taken to answer my queries on how the app works), I received the diagnosis, prescription, neb and an MC on my app.
Simply would my boss have this digital hall pass from work? It did have Dr Chua's signature on it.
Koh said that the Ministry of Manpower has indicated that MCs issued past any registered physician are recognised by employers, including those by WhiteCoat's Singapore-registered doctors.
WhiteCoat is definitely not for emergencies such equally chest pains, astringent difficulty in animate, sudden numbness, seizure, fractures or dislocations, persistent bleeding or deep wounds, and severe abdominal hurting.
"Fifty-fifty if your condition doesn't autumn within those categories, nosotros may make the clinical judgment not to appraise you," said Dr Chua.
But say you have dizzy spells, or you need advice for your mum's health check results – those are cases that WhiteCoat doctors can nourish to via telemedicine. "Some patients want the physician's assessment to alleviate their anxiety," said Dr Chua. "We tin be their first point of contact."
However, when it involves the elderly, "we are more cautious with the diagnosis and would refer the patient to meet the GP in person," she said.
You can likewise use the app for your child's non-emergency disquiet. But if he or she is below sixteen years old, you take to set up the account under your name, dial up the service and be present throughout the video call.
HOW MUCH DO I HAVE TO PAY?
My bill came upwards to S$44.40, minus the Panadol. It wasn't far from the S$40 or then fee I usually pay at my neighbourhood GP. But if I'd called during after-part hours (Monday to Saturday, 8pm to 12am; Sunday and public holidays, 8am to 12am), the consultation fee alone would have been South$fifty, non South$25.
Then what'due south my verdict? Would I employ telemedicine for real? The convenience is a sweet sell.
Simply for some, similar my elderly parents who are used to direct human interaction with the dr., telemedicine might be a hard pill to swallow.
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