The Benefits of a Consultation With an Online Doctor in Australia

If there’s anything the COVID-19 pandemic has taught us, it’s that anything and everything can be done online. While online shopping and ordering takeaway food through apps have long been popular, it is the medical industry that has truly seen a massive change due to the pandemic. Previously, it was believed that the only way to see a doctor was through an in-person appointment, but in the wake of the pandemic, with multiple stay-at-home instructions and lockdowns, people and medical centres started looking for an alternate way to get the healthcare they required.

Cue telehealth services. While telehealth services have been around for a while, they gained massive popularity in the COVID-19 pandemic as people became too scared to head on over to their GP’s clinics and doctors started encouraging people to stay home if sick. Online doctors in Australia quickly started becoming a quick and accessible way of getting quality healthcare without having to leave the house. If you still haven’t tried having an online consultation with a doctor, here are a few benefits to help convince you:

1. No Need to Travel
   Perhaps the biggest benefit of having a consultation with an online doctor in Australia, especially for working parents or those without a car, is that there’s no need to travel to get to your appointment. Simply log on to the service’s app or website from wherever you are and book an appointment in minutes, choose a time and date of your preference and wait for the online GP to call you. You could do this while lying in bed with a cold and fever, or from the parking lot of your workplace before heading home for the day or even during your lunch break in a quiet corner of the office!
2. Saves Time and Money
   For an average face-to-face consultation with a doctor, you need to schedule at least two hours out of your day. This will include any time it takes you to get to the clinic (add more time if you’re using public transport), waiting up to an hour in the lobby of the clinic for your turn, consulting the doctor, and then heading back home. Add some more time if you’re stopping by a pharmacy on the way to pick up your prescribed medication. In order to make this time, you may have to take time off work and for casual workers, this usually means losing income. You may also have to make additional babysitting arrangements if you’re a single parent and the appointment is scheduled for after working hours. All of this costs a significant amount of time and money for a single doctor’s visit.

On the other hand, with an online doctor service, all you need are 15 minutes for the actual consultation, and you can get about your day while you wait for the appointment time to roll around. No loss of income, no extra babysitting arrangements and certainly no time wasted on waiting around!

3. Easy Prescriptions for Chronic Conditions
   Do you have a chronic health condition and consider it a hassle to have to book a GP appointment every time you need a repeat prescription? How about something as simple as a contraceptive pill? Unfortunately, you cannot get the pill over the counter in Australia, and it can be a pain to go to your GP for a repeat prescription every time you run out. With online healthcare services, you can get your repeat prescription filled after a quick online consultation with a registered doctor without having to take anything out of your schedule to fit a physical appointment in.
4. Highly convenient and comfortable
   When you’ve woken up feeling under the weather for the third day in a row and now need a medical certificate to take another day off work, the last thing you want to do is drive down to your nearest clinic and wait for the doctor to see you in order to get a sick leave certificate. Many workplaces mandate employees to present a medical leave certificate if they’re taking more than two days off work. With online healthcare services, you can get a medical certificate in a matter of minutes, without even leaving your bed! This gives you more time to focus on getting some rest and getting better.
5. Safe and confidential
   Waiting rooms of doctors’ clinics are breeding grounds for all kinds of germs and bacteria. When surrounded by so many sick people waiting to see the doctor, there’s no telling what kind of airborne disease you might pick up! You wouldn’t be the first person to be overly concerned about the illnesses you could get exposed to at the clinic, so if that’s something that worries you, an online consultation is perfect for you.

Moreover, all online doctors in Australia are registered with the AHPRA and are mandated under the HIPAA to keep all your medical information and anything you share with them strictly confidential. This means that you’re just as safe discussing your health with an online doctor as you are with an in-person doctor!