Doctors Skype Too

By: Meghana Reddy

Videochatting, usually, is best known as a social application that connect family members, friends, and significant others when long distances may keep them apart.

But this sort of virtual communication does not just have to be used for social communication — it can also be used for communication between medical specialists, and this can change the way we examine and treat autism and other spectrum disorders.

Videoconferencing facilitates communication between multiple medical specialists from different locations across the country, or even the world, because access may be difficult to obtain otherwise. The specialists, though geographically separated, can come together at one time, in one place, and speak to each other and the patient’s family in one session.

The specialists can all give their input on the individual patient’s case. One major advantage of videoconferencing is that one specialist can consult with the other doctors, to see if the prescription they are suggesting would benefit the child – or determine if might actually create other issues in other body systems or development, and shouldn’t be given to the patient. With this back-and-forth dynamic, specialists can cross-check their opinions with other specialists who also understand the patient’s case. They are able to make sure their opinions don’t conflict with each other, and that they create the most benefit for the patient.

Videoconferencing is the solution that makes this sort of group effort possible. As a result, specialists are able to work together to come up with a simple solution and clear treatment plan, which will put the patient on the best path to recovery.

Videoconferencing is already widely implemented in therapeutic autism centers across the country. The sessions are incredibly efficient, because they save the time, money, and conflict of opinions in the process. At the end of a videoconferencing session, medical specialists will have finalized a treatment plan that works towards the benefit of the child, without costing the parents the effort and stress of traveling and taking care of their kids. It also works for the benefit of the doctors, not having to spend as much time consulting with and analyzing a large number of patients.

With one treatment plan for each individual case, hashed out in one go with all of the necessary specialists, videoconferencing is an extremely effective tool used for autism and spectrum disorders in modern medicine. Videoconferencing sessions can be most beneficial to the patient, and they ease the amount of pressure each person involved in the treatment and care process. Specialists and families work together, to create a streamlined, agreeable, team approach – something that is especially needed in the complex treatment that autism requires.