Demand for online medical consultations almost doubled in January

MedLife, the private provider that provided its patients with the online consultation service from the start of the pandemic, announces an increase of 47% of online consultations given in January this year compared to the previous month. According to the company’s representatives, the demand for online consultations has amplified with the spreading of the Omicron variant, which determined an accelerated increase of daily infections. The authorities announced on 1 February a record number of 40,000 infections.

“The online medical consultation service was well-received from the beginning of the pandemic, being an excellent alternative for those who need a medical opinion, but cannot come to our units. Nevertheless, in January this year, with the new variant becoming dominant, the daily case number increasing at a steady pace, and even higher interest was noticed for online consultations, many patients weren’t able to come to see their physician because they were in quarantine or isolation. Thus, the number of online consultations has increased in January by 47% compared to December and by 45% compared to October, when the peak of the 4^th wave generated by the Delta variant was recorded”, declared Mihai Marcu, Chairman and CEO MedLife.

The most sought after specialities for online consultations: general and internal medicine, gynaecology, allergology and psychology

The MedLife report shows that general and internal medicine occupies first place in the top of specialities for which online consultations have been requested in January, the physicians providing 56% more consultations by videoconference compared to the previous month. In second place about requests for online consultations is gynaecology, here, the number is almost double compared to December. In third place as several online consultations provided in January is allergology, the demand increasing by almost 80% compared to the last month of 2021.

At the same time, psychology, endocrinology, dermatovenerology and paediatrics are the other specialities for which online consultation services have been requested in January.

75% of the people who requested online medical services are under 45 years old

Based on analysed data, MedLife attempted to create a profile of the patient who requests online medical consultation services. Thus, it resulted that 75% of them are young people, with ages between 25 and 45 years, usually, patients who need their medical tests or investigations interpreted. At the same time, patients in isolation or quarantine as a result of the COVID-19 infection or contact with an infected person frequently call on this type of service to benefit from remote medical assessment and counselling to address other specialities for additional investigations.

On the other hand, MedLife representatives highlight an increased interest of employees from companies regarding the performance of regular examinations (occupational medicine) online. With the pandemic’s debut, 1 out of 5 employees moved their activity in the teleworking regime, at which point, an accelerated increase of requests for online occupational medicine services was noticed. Although the average requests for such services have been constant in the last period, the number fluctuates from one month to another. For example, in November last year, the number of regular examinations made online was double that of the previous month.

1 out of 3 Romanians have requested online medical services during the pandemic

The results of a MedLife survey carried out in November last year have shown that 30% of respondents (persons from the urban area, internet users, with ages between 25 and 55 years) have declared that, during this period, they used online or phone consultations. The reasons for which patients choose online medical consultation services is related to the decrease of the time to come to the clinic, access to a medical opinion even when the situation does not allow it (e.g.: for quarantine or isolation) or the possibility of interacting with physicians from other cities than the one they’re living in.

“Online consultation sessions are not different from a quality standpoint from office consultations. They have a similar duration, an average of 20 minutes, and they entail a discussion with the consultant physician for anamnesis, questions from the patient and recommendations from the physician for additional investigations, if necessary. Patients have access to online medical care for almost every speciality, covering a wide array of pathologies”, added Mihai Marcu.

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