A visit to the GP will never be the same after COVID-19
Everything from the way we get prescriptions to the way our health is examined by our local GP is about to change. See how it will affect you.
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Patients and doctors will have to get tech savvy as telehealth, electronic prescriptions and monitoring vital health signs on mobile phones becomes a necessity in the post-COVID-19 world.
Instead of visiting a chemist more Australians are likely to consult their GP by phone, get the doctor to send an e-script to their preferred chemist and have their medicines home delivered.
Doctors will practise medicine remotely using digital stethoscopes, portable ECG monitors, digital thermometers, blood pressure monitors and digital otoscopes (a device to see into the ear canal) which can be used by patients at home with the results sent to the doctor via a mobile phone.
Many hospital and even ICU patients will be treated from home rather than hospital.
Patients are already being hooked up to machines that measure blood pressure, pulse and other vitals with the data fed back to a centralised medical unit in a big city from where doctors monitor the patient.
Test results will be delivered on the spot in a doctors surgery using new point of care technology.
From a small fingerstick or urine sample, machines like the Abbott Afinion Analyzer can provide instant results on blood sugar, cholesterol and creatine levels.
Many medical practices are on the brink of bankruptcy after patients scared of catching COVID-19 stayed away and this could accelerate large medical companies buying out local GP and pathology practices.
Major medical supply shortages during COVID may drive more local production of medicines and medical equipment.
Australia’s largest generic medicine company Arrotex Pharmaceuticals has offered to set up a local drug manufacturing plant.
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Originally published as A visit to the GP will never be the same after COVID-19