We all know that feeling of being far too sick for our own good, yet too busy to see a doctor or too tired to leave the comfort of our own beds. We scrounge through our cabinets, looking for the last few drops of cough syrup, some Tylenol pills, or even a heating pad, in the hopes that we can just make it through on our own. The truth of the matter is simple – receiving care from a physician is essential to getting better – but in an ever-growing technological landscape, the options for how you can receive that care are changing.
While telehealth is slowly on the rise, two of the more well-established ways to see a physician in-person include either going to a clinic or putting in a house call to have a physician meet you where you are. These options allow you to accomplish the same underlying goal of receiving care, but in two different ways, each with its own unique sets of upsides.
Clinics: Likely the most well-known care option, visiting a clinic is something nearly all of us have done at some point in our lives already, and the process is commonly characterized by the following benefits:
Provide access to medical-grade machinery and tests to assess patient needs
Are a great option for sudden health changes or mild, non-life-threatening injuries that still need to be treated in a timely fashion
Have flexible hours, including the evening and weekends when most individuals are off work
Can offer care in a much shorter time frame than if you were to find yourself needing to go to the emergency room
House Calls: To try and curb some of the risks and rewards associated with going to a clinic to receive care, house calls have seen a resurgence in recent years, whereby a physician chooses to see a patient at their house rather than at a medical facility, generating the following perks:
Provide patients with one-on-one care in the comfort of their own homes
Are a great option for people who may be physically disabled, need physical therapy, or have chronic conditions requiring frequent care
Have flexible hours determined by the physician themselves
Can offer care with no waiting times due to all appointments being scheduled in advance
Often keep patients from having to be exposed to outside elements or worry about needing to get somewhere in order to receive care, saving people both time and energy
Regardless of what you may choose, both clinics and home calls are a great way to ensure that you stay happy and healthy in this fast-paced world. It’s time to ditch self-diagnosis for the help of qualified physicians who can meet all of your needs, even if one of them is that you just want to stay in bed for a little while longer!