a pharmacy adopts the teleconsultation booth
This is a novelty in the Pink City. A teleconsultation booth took up residence at the Pharmacy of La Cepiere. This innovative device allows a remote appointment with a general practitioner via connected medical equipment. Contacted by The Independent Opinion, Geraldine Gambax, manager of the La Cépière pharmacy, welcomes the concept. “It’s an interesting alternative for people with symptoms that will appear a quick appointment with a GP and in of good conditions“.
© Pharmacy La Cépière
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How it works ?
To use this machine, the procedure is simple. Accompanied by a referent, it will be enough to follow the instructions indicated on the screen of the cabin. “The vital card is essential”, recalls Géraldine Gambax. For good reason, it must be inserted into the machine before the start of the medical interview. The patient must also have an email address to create his account and indicate the reason for the consultation. “In general, a general practitioner responds to the request under 15 mins max“, indicates the pharmacist. It is about salaried health professionals from tessan groupmachine supplier.
The consultation is done using connected objects. “The cabin has very good video quality as well as a blood pressure monitor, stethoscope, oximeter, thermometer, otoscope and dermatoscope for skin problems”, list Géraldine Gambax. The teleconsultant doctor guides the patient in handling the instruments and make a diagnosis. “This is transmitted on a ticket delivered by the cabin. This ticket is to be presented at the pharmacy counter to retrieve the prescription”, specifies the manager. And to ensure: “the cabin is disinfected following a strict hygiene protocol after each visit”.
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A medical backup
The device was delivered to the La Cépière pharmacy in mid-January. The pharmacy is the second in the Toulouse region to be equipped with this innovative device, with the Pharmacy Cha-Tayac in Saint-Orens-de-Gameville. “We rent the machine for a little more than 400 euros per month“, explains Géraldine Gambax. A machine that has established itself as a relevant alternative given the health situation. “With the emergence of Covid, many people had to consult from home, and often in poor conditions,” explains the pharmacist. She adds: “Furthermore, making an appointment was very complicated, because of the lack of general practitioners. As a result, some patients are calling the already overcrowded emergency department.”
If for the moment, few people know of the existence of the teleconsultation cabin, “those who have used it are very satisfied with it”. The Cépière pharmacy has an average of three patients cabin users per day. pour information, children can use the cabin accompanied by an adult. On the other hand, she is not not suitable for wheelchair users. If this innovation does not concern the moment that general medicine, the Tessan group is working on the connection with specialists such as dermatologists or gastroenterologists.
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