I personally have never used an online medical aid. So this was a brand new experience for me, though I was intrigued to see how it would go. As ladies who are busy and constantly on-the-go, it is often difficult to find time, or take the time, to head into the doctor's office when something goes wrong. A few months ago I sprained my ankle, took a trip down some wet stairs and ended up in bed. I have a high instep, my mother couldn't believe how high when she actually looked at it, but it means I am constantly twisting my ankle over the smallest things but also every year or so I end up with a sprain. Without fail, I am the clumsiest person in the world! So I wanted to see if there was anything that could be done to strengthen my ankle, ways I could repair any damage that had been done, etc. My post here will be about my experience with Amwell though, not in how I will be repairing my ankle:)
I signed up on the Amwell website as this was my first time on there. It is pretty easy to do, filling in your name and email, state, and so on. There is a lot of other information for you to fill in as well, which you can do before starting a visit or after. It is helpful to do it before though as your doctor will want to get the details before the call. I had chosen one of the providers to start my visit, and once you click that button you then have to fill out any illnesses from the past, medications you might be on, health issues, etc. Thankfully I am healthy and didn't have to mark any of those. Yes, I do want to lose weight but other than that I have no medical issues. They ask if you have insurance as well as finding a local pharmacy. I wasn't real worried about those things, our closest pharmacy is about 30 minutes away and so I went to the next page. This is for your payment, which was quickly taken care of. Then I hit start visit and oh boy, the woman I first chose was not available!
So I went back and started all over again with the only other woman who was open at the time. I prefer dealing with a woman as it makes me more comfortable. But I did have to go through and fill out everything again. Not the greatest but not too bad. And then a pop-up window appeared and I was in the waiting room for Linda Elizabeth Stash Stiles.
They have a little video that plays, explaining some of what will occur during the online visit. My wait was only for a few minutes. Elizabeth was very friendly, making me feel comfortable, though my sprain was not exactly her field of expertise. She looked up some exercises for me to do, asked about physical therapy and all the little details of my sprain. The visit was quick but she also sent me notes with articles to read as well as a youtube video which explains some exercises. She wrapped up the consultation and then sent an email with a transcript as well as some notes. All in all, the video chat was about 8 minutes long. Super easy to get a professional opinion on my injury!
Now, as far as drawbacks. My first problem was how long it took me to actually get in touch with someone, plus there were only two people available. Which changed while I was in the middle of starting my visit, so I had to go through the whole sign up again. Nothing real major and I know the wait time of a doctor's office would be longer, just a bit irritating. Obviously with an online visit, if something is seriously wrong, they are not going to be able to to a whole lot, but they can prescribe medicine, physical therapy, etc. The only other thing I would say is that it is helpful to have someone who is familiar with your issue. Such as my ankle, there were only two people available. Their areas of expertise were obesity/weight and then family medicine. The diet/nutrition specialists were not available at all. I would have personally loved talking to the woman who says she specializes in down-to-earth care. Again, this is my personal opinion and I know that they are doctor's who have other lives and other people to take care of.
I would definitely use this option in the future when I want a quick consult over something. Earaches, headaches, flu, etc. You can't beat the price and the professional help is great. Also, they have the option for Diet and Nutrition which is only $25. I would love to do that and maybe get some help over my weight.
For me, I see this almost like the old fashioned house calls, other than they are obviously not there touching the injury and seeing everything first hand. Good to have on hand when you don't have the time to take a trip to the doctor. Excellent for mothers with no free time!
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**DISCLOSURE: I was given a free product in exchange for an honest review. No other compensation was given, and all thoughts are 100% mine. Please read my full disclosure policy HERE.**
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