Your first online doctor's consult: how to prepare
A video consult can be as thorough as a visit to the rooms, if you're prepared. Here's what to have ready, what your doctor will ask, and what happens afterwards.
The short version
- Find a private, quiet spot with a good signal, and test your camera beforehand.
- Have a list of your medicines and any recent blood results to hand.
- Write down your three most important questions.
- Know that your doctor may still ask to see you in person, or send you for tests.
Before the day
- Check your doctor. Your doctor's name and HPCSA registration number are shown when you book. You can check any doctor on the HPCSA public register.
- Test your set-up. A phone works fine. Charge it, close other apps, and make sure the camera and microphone work.
- Gather your information. Your medicines and doses, any allergies, recent blood results, and readings such as blood pressure or blood sugar if you track them at home.
- For weight: weigh yourself in the morning, and measure your waist halfway between your lowest rib and the top of your hip bone.
- For an injury: wear clothes that let you show the injured area, and have a little space to move so your doctor can watch how it moves.
During the consult
Consults last about 30 minutes. Expect the same questions you'd be asked face to face:
- What you'd like help with, and what you've already tried
- Your medical history, and your family's
- Your medicines, allergies, alcohol and smoking
- How things are affecting your sleep, mood, work and daily life
Be honest, even about the awkward parts. Your doctor can only plan around what they know. If something isn't clear, ask them to explain it again. It's your consult.
What happens afterwards
- A written summary of what you agreed, sent to you by the practice.
- Tests or referrals if your doctor needs more information, such as blood tests at a lab near you, or an in-person examination.
- A prescription, if needed, sent to a registered pharmacy. You choose which one.
- An invoice with the codes you need to claim from your medical aid, if your plan covers consults.
When video isn't the right choice
Some things need to be seen in person. Your doctor will tell you if that's the case. And if you have chest pain, difficulty breathing, signs of a stroke, a severe injury or any other emergency, don't book a consult: call 10177 for an ambulance, 112 from a mobile, or go to your nearest emergency unit.
Your privacy
Your consult and medical record are kept by the practice that treats you, under the same confidentiality rules as any doctor's visit and under POPIA. Consults are not recorded without your permission.