Telehealth: Building Trust in the Age of Digital Information Overload

Today, information is available in innumerable quantities and is accessible to us within seconds. Technology has offered us a wealth of information that could have only been imagined even a decade ago. But, while the benefits of technology are endless, that’s not to say that it goes without its drawbacks. The same advantages that technology offers – endless volumes of information available 24/7 – pose a distinct disadvantage: information overload. With so much information available, it’s hard to decipher what is valuable and accurate. When people, especially patients, receive too much information at one time, they have trouble thinking about it clearly. For this reason, it’s essential to build trust with patients when they are overwhelmed with information – and we’ll tell you how.

Too Much Information

We’ve all experienced information overload in our daily lives. Consider when you hear something on the news, so you look it up online. Suddenly you have thousands of articles, papers, and social media posts at your disposal, yet somehow they all contradict one another. This can be overwhelming and confusing, making it challenging to get the right information. The same can occur in healthcare. Almost every day, new discoveries in healthcare are made, all of which can help physicians to treat their patients more accurately and effectively. Unfortunately, if patients, and even providers, are given too much information, they don’t know what to do with it.

The Patient

A critical issue with this is that false information can get added to the mix, confusing patients even further. If a patient uses a search engine to look up their condition or symptoms, they may end up with a completely inaccurate self-diagnosis. In the worst-case scenario, the patient may then take it up with themselves and begin treating themselves with unnecessary medications, potentially worsening their health. As a physician, there is only so much you can do to steer patients in the right direction. Unfortunately, you can’t control what patients do once they leave your office, so providers must build trust with their patients. With a good patient-provider relationship, patients will turn to their provider with questions and concerns rather than the Internet. But, how do providers build this trusting relationship? After all, they only have limited access to patients during their appointments. Telehealth services are the key to building these relationships and providing patients with trustworthy and accurate resources. One of the greatest benefits of a telehealth platform is its communication channel. Within this platform, patients can schedule synchronous meetings with their providers to have (virtual) face-to-face time. Even outside of these meetings, patients can access asynchronous meetings from their provider and message them directly. These heightened means of communication allow patients to connect with their providers more regularly. More interactions mean more time to build a trusting relationship between patients and providers. Furthermore, these interactions give patients more time to discuss questions and concerns with their providers rather than seeking answers online. Telehealth platforms can also offer patients a library of resources, including their own medical files and records. Should patients have questions about their own health or condition, they can review their EHRs, all of which are securely uploaded into their patient platform, as well as resources approved and selected by their provider. Another excellent resource available in telehealth platforms is a community network. Patients have access to physicians worldwide, which they can easily connect with to obtain consultations and second opinions. Second opinions are extremely helpful in verifying a diagnosis or treatment plan and building trust with providers. The capabilities offered by a telehealth platform provide patients with all of the resources they need to keep them informed and in the loop on their health. With greater access to accurate resources and their provider, patients no longer need to resort to the digital information overload on the Internet to get answers.

The Provider

While physicians may not resort to the Internet for healthcare information, they too can experience the negative effects of information overload. As mentioned, new healthcare discoveries are being made every day, and most providers don’t have the time to keep up with every new discovery. This can often leave providers feeling overwhelmed and confused, just as patients do. Fortunately, telehealth can help physicians address information overload as well. With the right telehealth platform, providers will be able to consolidate the information they need and share it with one another. Just as patients can access a community portal, so can providers. Within this portal, physicians can connect to share resources and consult one another on patient cases. In doing so, they can obtain verified and accurate information from a trusted physician without the stress of an information overload. Collaborations such as this are easily enabled by telehealth platforms. Physicians can even share patient cases (when approved by the patient) to ensure accurate treatment and diagnosis. In doing so, providers can improve their care while also building alliances and relationships with other physicians. This allows providers to receive credible information and assistance without sorting through massive volumes of information on their own. Plus, as telehealth platforms consolidate all healthcare resources into one platform, everything providers need is located in one easily accessible location.

Trust in Medicai

The speed with which information is growing is nowhere near slowing down, so both patients and providers must find a platform from which they can reliably obtain accurate information. With telehealth platforms such as Medicai, users can receive accurate and reliable resources – directly from a provider. With all resources available in one location, patients and providers can easily access all of the information they need. As Medicai offers resources both synchronously and asynchronously, users can obtain the information they need at any time, with the means to get additional information from a provider or peer. Not only is Medicai a centralized platform with a plethora of resources, but users will know that the information they obtain from Medicai has been verified by the experienced providers that use it. This means that the information you receive is accurate and, for most patients, specific to their health. With Medicai, patients and providers no longer need to face the infinite void of information that the Internet can sometimes be. Instead, everything you need to ensure quality healthcare is available in one all-encompassing solution. Using our telehealth platform, users will find that getting the right information doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Instead, we make it easy.