Doctor Consultations After Hours By Instant Consult
Illness and injury never wait for a convenient time to happen and therefore it’s likely that at some point in your life you will require an after-hours doctor. This is a medical practitioner who you can consult with outside of traditional practice hours so that you don’t have to wait until the following day to get treatment.
It can be hard to know when it becomes necessary to see an after-hours doctor, especially if you have never actually resorted to using one before. The following will take a look at some things to consider when you are deciding to see an after-hours gp or not.
How urgent is it?
Of course, the urgency of the medical problem you are dealing with is going to be the primary factor that influences your decision to seek out an after-hours clinic. Determining when something is bad enough to warrant going an extra step can be very difficult, especially when you are not a doctor and can’t make any authoritative judgements beyond your own sense of discomfort.
If you are in a medical emergency, then you need to dial 000 and request an ambulance so that you can get the life-saving treatment that only a hospital can provide. An after-hours service is not for medical emergencies and should not be relied on as such – it is simply a convenience for people who need to see a doctor outside regular practice hours.
An example of a situation where you would want to see an after-hours doctor is when you can’t sleep because of a high fever and want to start the process of getting relief as early as possible. Another situation could be when you suffer a sports injury and need a referral for diagnostic imaging (x-rays, CT scans etc) the following morning.
How do you find an after-hours doctor?
Finding an after-hours doctor is easier than ever before with the use of a telehealth service like Instant Consult. You can easily connect with a fully qualified and registered medical practitioner in minutes via video chat on your smartphone, tablet or laptop, meaning you can get the advice you need without needing to travel anywhere. These can be located in regions such as:
This is really useful if you are someone who doesn’t drive or have good access to public transport, or is suffering from a condition that makes travel a hassle for you. Being able to get the advice you need from the comfort of home makes it much easier for you to get the right treatment in a shorter amount of time.
Alternatively, there is probably an after-hours clinic within your local region that you can visit, but they are often few and far between. The scarcity of physical after-hours clinics is part of why telehealth services like Instant Consult are being relied on more and more by everyday Australians.
Hopefully, the above information has given you a little more insight on finding and making use of an after-hours doctor so you can get the authoritative advice you need without any delay.
If you want to speak to a doctor now, login and request a consult on the Instant Consult app.