Chiang Mai University’s telemedicine platform
The Covid-19 pandemic has changed the world we live in so many ways it will take many years to fully comprehend. One area which has been vastly affected is medicine. As the world locked down amidst fears of the virus, many important surgeries or medical consultations were halted as hospitals prioritised patients with possible Covid symptoms over other less urgent patients and the general public avoided hospitals out of fear of catching the virus.
To that end Chiang Mai University along with the Public Health Office developed its Doctor A to Z telemedicine platform, a platform which today has over 300 medical doctors working around the clock to offer medical consultations, ‘teleconsults’ to patients online.
Assistant Professor Termpong Reanpang, M.D from the university’s Division of Vascular Surgery
While the application began as a free consultation for possible Covid patients, all doctors similarly acting on a voluntary basis, it has since grown into a business of its own.
“Over the time of crisis when the pandemic first hit, all hands were on deck,” said. “At that time, anyone who was able to help in anyway stepped up, regardless of their expertise. Our initial aim was to alleviate the burden on hospitals at the time of crisis by offering initial consultations to patients who may not actually need to go to hospital, exposing themselves to risk. Imagine if 100 patients with temperatures went to hospital to get checked out and one had Covid. All 99 others would be exposed. What we did was work with 100 patients, supporting those who were not ill enough to go to hospital so that they could recover at home. I was so impressed when we first launched this idea and I shared the call for volunteers with around 200 friends. So many of them shared the message far and wide and the levels of interest and participation was very high. We even have between 30-40 alums from our faculty volunteering. Chiang Mai University has always ingrained a sense of public service in all of its students and this crisis has brought that to the fore.”
Patients are asked to download the Doctor A to Z application onto their devices. From there, they can scroll to find specialists in any field who can offer them 15 minutes paid consultation. If the patient suspects that they have Covid-19, then they do not have to pay, they simply click on the Volunteer Doctors button for a free consult.
There are two types of consultations; by appointments and real time online. If a patient has an urgent need for consultation then they will be able to see which doctor is currently online (a green button will be the indicator) and ask for an immediate consultation. Appointments can also be made in advance, with a notice of reminder. Patients may choose their doctors by looking up their expertise and brief resume, each doctor’s registration numbers being featured for assurance.
The project is also working with the Public Health Office on the COVID-19 CMU Self Health Check for students and personnel of the university who may have had recent travels to high risk locations. This 14-day checkup system, which checks in daily, is a support system for anyone who is currently at risk, with doctors monitoring patients closely throughout the 14-day quarantine time period.
Patients who are in crisis or need emergency help can also contact the application which will identify the nearest hospital and offer any support needed to get there.
“We had an auntie one day who was very high risk as she had recently travelled to Bangkok which was at the time considered a place with possible exposure to the pandemic,” said Assistant Professor Termpong Reanpang. “She had high temperature, was weak and had already been to the hospital for a checkup but was sent home and told that her condition was not severe enough. When she contacted us she had very high fever and her illness had obviously worsened. We offered her a consultation and realised that she had to go to hospital. She didn’t have any transport and was fearful of spreading any virus to a taxi driver, so we arranged an ambulance with all protective gear to come and pick her up. Two weeks later we heard that she didn’t have the virus and was fully recovered.”
“We doctors have so many stories to tell and share from this experience,” added the doctor. “It has been heartwarming working on this project and we are so happy that we all got to do some good for those in need at a time of need.”