I remember doing an video consultation a few years ago with a former patient of mine who left Singapore and relocated to Hong Kong. I treated his shoulder previously and he tore his Anterior Cruciate ligament (ACL) and had the reconstruction done in Hong Kong.
He was frustrated as he was not improving (as you can read from his iMessage to me above) and wanted my advice. I was very hesitant as I wondered how I can assess him physically without being there. I wondered if I could really be of help.
I told him that if I hadn't treated him before I would not have agreed to the video conference. Even though he insisted on paying, I didn't charge him for that video consultation.
In this particular consultation what really helped was that my patient already had his ACL reconstruction done. He was also able to describe his symptoms in detail. So what the patient tells us can perhaps replace the assessment tests we need to do. We can then guide the patient through the session if we need them to do any active movements or tests.
Why am I writing about tele/ video consultations here? Well, these are unprecedented times. On 3rd April 2020, our Prime Minister went on national TV and announced the implementation of a "circuit breaker" to minimize the further spread of COVID-19.
In line with the new policies set out by our government, our clinics will be closed from Tuesday 7th April to 4th May 2020, both dates inclusive. We will reopen as soon as we are able to do so.
We understand and support this temporary closure as it is in the best interest of our community. We all need to do our part to make this work to overcome this pandemic.
We will be available for tele/ video consultations during this period of closure.
If you’re a patient at Physio Solutions, please contact +65 9297 9641.
If you’re a patient at Sports Solutions, please contact +65 9112
5326.
Despite my doubts and hesitation wondering whether online/ video consultations will help, my patient thought it was "super helpful" if I may quote him from his message above. Again, he asked me to bill him, but I did not. He actually felt much improvement from what I taught him and subsequently came back to Singapore to see me 3 times for his knee.
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