Sponsored by Turó Park Clinics.
Image courtesy of Turó Park Dental and Medical Center.
We met with Dr. Madeleine Smit, founder and director of the Turó Park clinics in Barcelona, to learn more about the teleconsultation process.
What Services Do You Offer through Your Teleconsultation Platform?
Let me first of all clarify for your readers the five activities that telemedicine encompasses with the graph below.
Image courtesy of Turó Park Dental and Medical Center.
It is clear that "classic" teleconsultation is only one aspect of telemedicine. Alongside this, there is also tele-expertise, when your doctor consults another practitioner online to benefit from their expertise, tele-assistance, when a doctor performs an act with the virtual help of another doctor, medical regulation, when once a diagnosis has been made, a professional directs the patient to the most appropriate treatment, and finally telemonitoring, which allows the doctor to keep an eye on his patient at all times.
If I come back to your question, our teleconsultation service allows patients to consult all of our 30 general practitioners and specialists at the clinic online and, for 80% of them, to access an appointment the same day in just a few clicks. Patients can book an appointment with their specialist doctor, general practitioner, gynecologist, pediatrician, ENT specialist, cardiologist, dentist, or other, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year.
After the appointment, the patient receives their prescription by e-mail which is available in any pharmacy in Spain. The bill will also be emailed allowing to the patient the reimbursement by their insurance company.
What Makes This Service Offered by the Turó Park Clinics So Unique?
The legal aspect is very important. In Spain, doctors who teleconsult must all be registered at the Spanish Medical Association (Colegio Oficial de Medicos de Barcelona, COMB) in order to legally issue prescriptions nationwide, according to their specialty. This is not the case for platforms registered in the UK, for example.
Another of our strengths is our linguistic approach, and more precisely, English-speaking doctors, which allows our patients to feel at home. Indeed, we know that being treated in a language that one does not master well is an unpleasant experience that often generates a certain frustration. To avoid this, the doctors at Turó Park Clinics are all multilingual. In addition to language, there is also a cultural understanding of different approaches to health care that we take into account.
We have been specifically reactive during this health crisis. It was unthinkable for us that our chronically ill patients would be deprived of prescription refills simply because they could not travel to the clinic. To make sure that they received continuous care we accelerated the implementation of our digital solution, a tool that is also very complementary to face-to-face visits.
In conclusion, I would say that our teleconsultation service is really complete, practical and above all secure.
Do You Think Teleconsultation Can Replace Physical Consultation?
Teleconsultation is not intended to replace physical consultation. It is simply a fantastic means of communication that is now an integral part of the patient's journey.
Imagine the time saved compared to face-to-face consultations in which it is necessary to travel, for example, for a simple reading of medical analyses or a first appointment. This service also makes it possible to obtain a second medical opinion compared to a diagnosis made by a colleague (30% of operations or interventions could be avoided).
We also have many consultations with patients who are embarrassed to come and talk in person about more personal problems, such as sexual, couple or family issues. Teleconsultation with a psychiatrist or psychologist is also very practical in cases of burn-out, depression or other psychological disorders such as phobias or eating disorders, where a certain anonymity is sought by patients.
For the international community in Spain who live far from a big city or who do not have the possibility to consult a French-speaking doctor, this service is very useful. We have patients from all over Spain. The same goes for people with reduced mobility or patients of our clinic who are going on vacation and still wish to consult their usual practitioner.
Many health professionals believe that the digitization of consultations will lead us to organize 50% of appointments online in the near future. This is entirely possible, and we are prepared for it.
How Do Your Patients Judge This New Practice?
Being able to consult a doctor simply by phone, without having to travel or park, is really appreciated by our patients, especially in these particularly complicated times when they are looking for solutions to minimize the risks of contagion.
The first reaction is has been good, but it really takes on its full meaning when the patient becomes aware that their cardiologist will now be able to follow them every day, at a distance, if necessary, or that the pediatrician will be able to auscultate an infant thanks to the connected tools, that a person in depression will be able to consult a psychologist without having to travel, etc.
The possibilities are infinite, and we are only at the beginning.
You can find out more about all the clinic’s services and book an appointment via the website at turoparkmedical.com and follow on Twitter: @park_turo, Facebook: @turoparkmedical, Instagram @turoparkmedical and LinkedIn.
Sponsored by Turó Park Clinics.
Originally Published September 2020, updated February 18, 2022.
