The internet has given us a lot of conveniences over the past two decades. We can now order things from all across the world and receive them at our doorstep within just a week or less. While that’s certainly impressive, it’s not exactly new. What’s more interesting is being able to carry out common tasks such as grocery shopping and picking up our prescription through the internet. Since the lockdown is keeping many of us homebound, it’s become more important than ever to rely on online services to help us with things like our weekly shopping.
However, something that few people are paying attention to is online healthcare services. This is something that has been around for a while. But ever since COVID-19 swept the world, it feels like there are far more online healthcare services available and their popularity has surged. So in this post, we’ll be looking at a couple of reasons why you should be paying more attention to these online healthcare services and how they can help you.
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1. You can see a doctor over the internet
While it’s never going to be as effective as visiting a doctor in person, it’s actually possible to speak with a doctor over the internet. You’ll typically need a phone or webcam so that they can physically see you. You may also need to pay a small fee, but there are some general practitioners that offer an online service included in their packages. This will vary depending on your location and local clinic, so make sure you get in touch with them to see if they offer this type of service.
Again, speaking to a doctor online isn’t going to be the most effective option to treat your condition. However, for most common symptoms and problems, it’s actually surprisingly effective. You might also be able to speak to your regular doctor, meaning they’ll have access to all your medical records and past appointments. This can greatly help with diagnosing your illness and will help you recover quickly.
This is far more effective and safer than diagnosing your symptoms online and trying to treat yourself with questionable remedies or over-the-counter medication. Since you’re speaking to a healthcare professional, they’re allowed to give you prescription medication that is more potent than anything you can find online. They’ll also give you professional advice on how to proceed, such as avoiding certain foods and actions so you can recover quickly.
2. Getting your prescription online
We briefly mentioned it in the previous point, but it’s now possible to get your prescription online and sent directly to your door. This saves you having to go to a local pharmacy. It also pairs well with being able to see a doctor online. It means you can speak to a healthcare professional and then instantly request your prescription over the internet. It’s incredibly convenient and will save you a lot of time and hassle, especially considering the lockdown that’s affecting most of the country.
An online prescription can be extremely helpful for people that are homebound or have limited mobility. For instance, if an elderly person needs to get a lot of medication from the pharmacy every week, it’s far more convenient to have it delivered straight to their door. It’s also a good way to get an emergency prescription if they’ve run out of medicine or have misplaced it. You can check out online prescription services here to learn more about how you can get your medication delivered straight to your door instead of having to go out to a pharmacy yourself.
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3. Get access to a surprising number of clinics
Clinic services are also available through online healthcare services. This actually gives you a surprising amount of options that are discreet, convenient and ultimately helpful. For instance, you can get information about contraceptives, your period or even acne. You can also speak to medical experts about weight loss and dieting, or you can get professional help with your hair loss problems. Some online healthcare services offer a full suite of services thanks to their wide reach. If there’s something they can’t help with, they’ll typically refer you to another pharmacy or service that can help you.
So if you’re concerned about a problem at home and want to speak with an expert, there are a surprising number of online services that can help you out. Again, it’s not going to be as effective as visiting them in person, but it’s extremely convenient and will give you a good idea of how your condition is and if you need further help.
4. You can also get glasses and contacts online
Another surprising service that many people don’t know about is getting glasses and contact lenses online. If you wear glasses or contacts, then you may already be spending a lot of money buying them from your optometrist. This usually isn’t because they’re overcharging you or demanding extra fees. Instead, it’s usually because they don’t have a wide selection of services and you also need to consider the costs of your eye examination as well. If you’re tired of paying a lot of money for contacts and glasses, then you can actually get your prescription from your optometrist and then use those values to buy your own glasses and contacts online.
Your optometrist might be hesitant to give you your prescription since it usually means that you’re going to buy glasses and contacts from a different company. This obviously means they’re going to lose money, so they might resist your request for it. However, they are legally obligated to give you those values. Once you have them, you can look at various different websites to buy your glasses and contact lenses. This will make things a lot easier for you in the future since you can order them from the comfort of your own home. You’ll also have access to a much wider range of glasses to fit your needs or style