After hours, doctors continue to face an endless stream of messages and phone calls from patients seeking advice or support. Each notification signal means a new request for help, and the lack of clear boundaries between work and private life leads to overload and burnout. The report “Patient on the phone” shows the scale of this phenomenon.

The main conclusions of the study “Patient on the phone”

• 76% of doctors in Poland maintains contact with patients outside the office.
• More than 50% of doctors use a private phoneto respond to patients' text messages.
• 43% of doctors receive messages from patients to a private email address33% use channels such as WhatsApp and Messenger.

Telemedicine asymmetry — the patient wins, the doctor gets tired

Current telemedicine tools focus mainly on the needs of patients, often overlooking the perspective of doctors. As a result, many digital platforms can contribute to exacerbating the problem of “invisible working hours” after hours. Research indicates that an increase in the number of messages from patients asking for a consultation leads to an increased workload, rather than improving its organization. Consequently, telemedicine in its current form does not relieve the burden on doctors, but contributes to their greater overload.

Telemedicine 2.0 in the obesity treatment project

Almost 20% of men and 18% of women in Poland suffer from obesity. This is a chronic disease that poses a significant threat to health and requires comprehensive treatment. Therapy is not limited to pharmacological products — lifestyle changes that include diet, physical activity, sleep and stress management are key. Both patients and physicians face numerous challenges when implementing these changes. The most important of them are low adherence to recommendations, lack of constant monitoring of the patient, lack of support in everyday challenges and lack of a comprehensive approach that takes into account lifestyle changes, pharmacotherapy and psychological support.

Treatment of obesity with Doctor.One — patient comfort, doctor control

The answer to these challenges is the obesity treatment program implemented at Doctor.One, which allows patients to monitor their health on a daily basis and provides doctors with access to structured data and notifications, allowing for more effective therapy support. In the application, it is the doctor who decides which patients require more comprehensive care and which form of contact (chat or telephone conversation) is most appropriate for their needs. This allows the specialist to have full control over the number of patients in his obesity treatment plan in the app and can adjust the intensity of care to individual cases.

Inclusion of a medical coordinator

The role of the medical coordinator is based on cooperation with the medical staff, the organization of the treatment plan and the support of the patient on the diagnostic path. IN Doctor.One the coordinator acts as a link between the patient and the doctor — educates the patient about obesity disease and prepares him for medical visits and collects the most important information about treatment (PROM and PREM). Our patient studies have shown that the biggest gap in medical care to date has been the lack of support for the daily challenges of treatment. The coordinator helps with the organization of treatment, reminds of recommendations, monitors progress and supports motivation to change habits. This allows the doctor to focus on the medical aspects of therapy and the patient receives the necessary support in the recovery process.

The doctor does not have to be constantly on the phone

Doctor.One app has asynchronous communication, like a “medical Whats app”. The patient can send messages regarding his progress or questions/doubts, and the doctor only responds at the time he has set. The doctor's phone number remains inaccessible to the patient, which eliminates the risk of unexpected calls. This allows you to build a relationship based on trust, empathy and professionalism, without overloading the doctor.

summary

Each function in the Doctor.One application is created on the basis of a study of needs and usability, and doctors actively participate in the process of its creation. The solution is adapted to the real challenges and objectives of specialists, and does not represent an additional administrative burden. The Obesity Treatment Program at Doctor.One combines efficiency and a modern approach to healthcare, supporting both patients and physicians in the fight against obesity. Thanks to such solutions, the doctor-patient relationship becomes more personalized, flexible and accessible, which increases the chances of effective therapy. The treatment process is more continuous and the patient receives support at every stage of the path.

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