As of the 17th of this month, more than 1.42 million people nationwide are recuperating at home due to the spread of the new coronavirus, and medical institutions around the world are increasingly using online medical treatment.

On the other hand, since there are limitations such as the inability to perform auscultation and palpation online, measures are being taken at each medical site, such as having patients who have decided that it is better to have a face-to-face examination be sent to an outpatient clinic.

Since the middle of last month, the fever outpatient clinic in Setagaya Ward, Tokyo, has seen about 70 to 100 patients a day.



In between face-to-face consultations, telephone and online consultations are also available.



On this day as well, a patient with symptoms such as fever wanted to be examined by phone and was prescribed medicine.



There are an increasing number of cases where people who have tested positive in an antigen test kit and registered as positive people are coming to see a doctor for prescriptions, etc., and some people prefer online consultations rather than face-to-face consultations. .



On the other hand, in non-face-to-face consultations, it is often not possible to listen to chest sounds with a stethoscope or measure oxygen levels in the blood. However, if it is judged that it would be better to see a doctor directly, the patient may be asked to come to an outpatient clinic.

Kei Hase, Director of "Clinic Plus Shimokitazawa" said, "It's hard to go out when you're sick, so I feel that the need for online consultations is high as the number of people recuperating at home increases. On the other hand, it is important to distinguish between face-to-face and online consultations. So, I would like to make a judgment and use it according to the patient, such as those who are at high risk of becoming seriously ill."