Autumn is well and truly in the air and we’re already seeing colder nights and cooler evenings creeping up upon us. Unfortunately, with the colder weather also comes cold and flu season and with the newest sub-variant of Omicron threatening to take hold, every sniffle and cough feels like impending doom. Thankfully, with the advent of online healthcare services, you can now get help for your cold and flu (or covid) symptoms by talking to a doctor online without ever stepping foot inside a doctor’s clinic!

How online healthcare services work

Generally, you sign up to the service provider’s website (for free) and select the type of service you require. The services provided may differ from provider to provider, but most providers offer the following services:

- Video consultation with a registered doctor

- Get a medical certificate online

- Get a repeat prescription online

- Get a specialist or pathology referral online

- Live chat with a registered doctor.

Once you’ve selected the service you require, in this case having a video consultation with a registered doctor, you are typically asked to fill in a brief questionnaire including your personal details, medical and family history and the reason why you need an online consultation. You then choose the consult time and date of your convenience and pay a small fee that covers everything from the actual consultation to any prescriptions or certificates you may be given and just wait for your consultation time to roll around. Without even moving from your seat, you can then talk to a doctor online about your symptoms and get the help you need.

Benefits of online consultations

1. No need to travel

If your condition affects your mobility or you don’t have access to transport where you are, or even if you live in a remote area and the nearest doctor is an hour away, online doctors are the perfect solution. For an online consultation, all you need is a smart device with an internet connection and audio and video capabilities and a quiet place for the consultation.

2. Safe and convenient

Worried your cold and flu symptoms may actually be of COVID and afraid of infecting others at the doctor’s clinic? Or perhaps you’re scared someone else might have asymptomatic COVID at the doctor’s clinic and are trying to limit your exposire to people as much as possible. Regardless of the reason, online healthcare appointments allow you to have a safe and secure conversation with a registered doctor without putting either yourself or others at risk.

3. Save money

When the costs of filling up your tank or taking the bus or train to the doctor’s clinic, making babysitting arrangements for the time you’re away as well as the time you’ll spend away from work (often resulting in a loss of income for many individuals) in addition to the actual fee of the doctor are added up, it can result in a significant amount of money for a single visit. This is a major reason why so many people avoid going to the doctor’s when they clearly need to. With online healthcare services, the only money you’re spending is the small amount (usually under $40) you pay the service for the consultation.

4. Save time

When you minus the travelling time and the time you would normally expect to spend in the waiting room of your doctor’s clinic, all that’s left are the 10-15 minutes you’d spend actually talking to your doctor. This makes online health consultations an excellent option for those who work full-time, have extremely busy schedules or are working single parents. You can easily slip in a quick consultation with an online gp even into a packed schedule.

In short, when you have symptoms you’re concerned about but no time to book a doctor’s appointment, the best and most convenient option is to talk to a doctor online easily and quickly.