The "The Future Of Medicine" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Just grabbed the mail from my mailbox and distributed it between my wife and myself.  One of my pieces of mail today was The AARP Magazine.   For those who are youngsters or perhaps from a country other the the USA, AARP stands for American Association of Retired Persons and by joining you get a variety of services at reduced rates as well as a monthly newspaper and magazine.  

Latest AARP Magazine

As I leafed through the magazine I came upon an article titled "Is This the Future of Medicine?"  Pictured on the double-page layout was a doctor sitting in front of a series of TV screens, Facetiming with a patient.  Showed it to Carol and said, "This is exactly what we did a few weeks ago when I took you to the hospital and you were diagnosed with Transient Global Amnesia."  Needless to say, she had no idea what we did because that Tuesday, a few weeks ago, has been forever wiped from her memory by the medical condition that affects the mind.  I explained that while in the Emergency Room in nearby Lititz, Pennsylvania, we were able to talk with a medical specialist over 25 miles away who was sitting in a room at Hershey Medical Center which is part of Penn State Medicine.  We did this through a computer Application that allows us to see as well as talk with someone in another location through a television, computer or smart phone.  The young woman doctor, who was a specialist in neurology, told us what Carol had experienced and what to expect as a result of that experience.  As I stared at the TV screen it was as if she were in the next room rather than miles away from the ER we were in at the time.  As the title of the article that I was reading stated...is this the future of medicine?  The hospital did not have a neurologist on staff at the time of our arrival so after doing extensive testing on Carol, it was determined to call Hershey Medical Center, one of the best medical institutions in the USA, and ask for their help.  The young doctor told us that the mind is one part of the body that they still know very little about, but assured us that what she experienced will go away in 12 to 24 hours.  Knowing that we had one of the best physicians talk to us through Facetime helped relieve the anxiety that both of us had.  And now, as I read the article in the magazine, I can see the huge advantage that virtual care can give to both patient and family or friends.  

A small story within the magazine article was titled "The Patient's Perspective."  It listed five benefits of virtual care for those who have had a lifetime of in-office visits and might feel intimidated by modern technology.  The benefits include: (1) Convenience so you don't waste your time, (2) Managing chronic conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure and COPD can be monitored more easily, (3)  Treating urgent symptoms without having to sit in a waiting room filled with other sick people, (4) More efficient health care so your family doctor can have access to specialists and (5) First-class care anywhere which Carol and I really appreciated.  You may have read my story of having shingles while on vacation in St. Martin and going to a doctor who had no idea what it was until my wife suggested shingles and he looked it up on his computer to tell me I had shingles as well as my story telling about Carol being stricken with appendicitis while in Providenciales on the Turks & Caicos Islands.  She did receive good care, but perhaps being able to Facetime with a specialist in the USA may have changed how he performed his surgery.  I look forward to the future of medicine and how technology will help virtual care be a reality for us.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.