How Doctor Home Visits Improve Patience Compliance
- Admin
- 22 April, 2024
One of the biggest achievements in the healthcare industry is that of home visit doctors. When doctors and their qualified assistants started visiting their patients at their homes, lives became much easier. This also allowed elderly patients and people living in remote areas access to quality healthcare services.
Home visits in healthcare are increasingly becoming common with multiple advancements being made in this area. For example, doctors can now visit their patients’ homes virtually with doctor on call services. Here, a patient can receive virtual consultation over audio or video calls. They may also be accompanied by nurses or other qualified assistants who keep the doctor updated. Thanks to technological advancements in the sector, doctors can also track vitals like blood pressure, blood oxygen, heart rate, and more.
So, when we talk about home visits in healthcare, we talk about physical visits and physician house calls.
With these services entering the equation, patient compliance improves. Patience compliance is the willingness of a patient to follow their doctor and engage with them throughout their recovery journey. Diagnosis and treatment are two-way practices. Both doctors and patients are equally involved in this relationship. No doctor can force a patient to take their advice and follow their instructions.
Let us understand how home visits in healthcare improve patient compliance with the following points:
When a doctor visits a patient at home, there is only one patient and one doctor. This implies that the patient has the doctor’s undivided attention. Under such scenarios, doctors have enough time to create personalized care plans for their patients. Every treatment procedure, diagnostic test, and medical advice is tailored to the patient’s individual needs. This makes a patient feel valued by the healthcare professional treating them.
Must Read: Post-surgery Home Care: Supporting Recovery In Familiar Surroundings
Hospital visits are often mechanical in nature. Every day, a doctor sees several patients and they are less likely to develop a bond of trust with any of them unless they are their family doctor.
This is not the case with home visits in healthcare services. As a doctor visits a patient, the in-person relationship leads to better trust. Such services allow doctors to understand their patients better and vice versa. A relationship of trust goes a long way, allowing a patient to seek their doctor’s advice for long.
Home visits doctors not only diagnose and treat their patients but also educate them about important matters related to their health. A doctor may not get such opportunities during conventional hospital visits. When a patient receives valuable advice and support from their doctor from the comfort of their home, patient compliance is bound to increase.
Apart from prescribing the right medicines to their patients, home visit doctors also help them with medication management. With services like doctor on call, a patient has quick access to their doctor. This way, the two individuals can stay in touch with each other. While patients can get their doubts related to their medications cleared, doctors can track the medicines their patients take and give them related advice.
Home visit doctors often provide home nursing services to their patients. These services involve a team of nursing staff visiting a patient on a short-term or long-term basis. These professionals track the patient’s health and keep the doctor updated. If needed, the doctor can track vitals using advanced software tools.
Home nursing services are ideal for elderly patients who cannot leave their houses due to their age. If they live alone, dedicated caregivers also spend time with them and give them much-needed social support.
If a patient visits a doctor at their clinic or hospital, it is not possible for the doctor to keep real-time track of their health progress. The only way to do so would be to get admitted to the hospital.
Home visits in healthcare have changed this scenario, allowing doctors to monitor the real-time health progress of their patients. In most cases, this is virtually using tools powered by technologies like the Internet of Things (IoT). If the patient seeks home nursing services, they have a team of qualified medical professionals looking after their health 24/7.
Gone are the days when a patient had to stay at the hospital to receive ICU services. Modern medicine has allowed doctors to set up elaborate ICUs at their patients’ homes. These services act as important extensions of the conventional ICUs at hospitals. Patients suffering from serious illnesses can now receive critical care without heading out of their homes. This is another major reason why home visits can improve patient compliance.
Apart from diagnosing and treating their patients, doctors often do not have the time to address their patients’ mental and emotional health during hospital visits. Home visit doctors often focus on these factors, ensuring holistic recovery. Moreover, patients may not be comfortable speaking up about issues hampering their mental well-being while visiting their doctors personally. At home, they are comfortable enough to talk about almost anything troubling them.
Must Read: Benefits Of Home-based Medical Care For Elderly Patients
If a patient is receiving doctor on call services, they can get in touch with their doctor almost immediately in the case of a medical emergency. In such cases, doctors and their assistants can provide the right medical care to their patients until they reach the hospital. It is safe to say that home visits in healthcare can save lives by dealing with medical emergencies on time.
Understanding the importance of home visits, Docville gives you access to the best healthcare professionals in Mumbai and Thane. We help you get diagnosed and treated by qualified general physicians in town from the comfort of your home. From a doctor on call and home nursing services to ICU at home, Docville aims to help you and your loved ones receive comprehensive healthcare services without crossing your home’s threshold.