Australia’s national home doctor service: How does it work?

It has always been a fact that in our day-to-day lives, anything wrong that we feel in our bodies would trigger our brains to get up and consult a doctor. The feeling that a medical professional checked you up brings peace of mind and comfort that what you have is nothing serious or that appropriate attention is given to you and you are taken care of. But what if your doctor is unavailable? What if you feel sick in the middle of the night? Should you go to the emergency department at once? Well, if it’s not life-threatening, you can just call the national home doctor service in your area.

 

National home doctor service: What is it?

A national home doctor service is a medical service provided for all Australians who are in need of medical attention and after-hours health care. This medical service supported by the government have home visiting doctors dispatched to homes nationwide for patients who are too ill to go to the hospital but whose condition is not life-threatening.

 

National home doctor service: How does it work?

There are different home doctor services available all over the country today, and they somehow follow a similar procedure. When a patient calls their hotline number, a medically-trained call centre agent will triage the call and send a home doctor to the patient’s location. The home visiting doctor then checks the patient in the comfort of their home or nursing facility. He also can assess, diagnose, and treat the patient’s medical condition. He may prescribe medications and even dispense initial doses of general medicines if needed. After the consultation, the doctor furnishes a medical report of the whole home care session to be sent to the patient’s regular GP. This procedure allows the GP to be kept in the loop with regard to the patient’s condition should he or she need additional follow-up and further assessment.

 

 

National home doctor service: What do I need to prepare for the call?

When you face a medical problem in the wee hours of the night, and you know your GP is out, you can always call your trusted home doctor service. Generally, you need to prepare the following information before calling their hotline so that proper attention and care is delivered to you:

• The patient’s name and date of birth
• His or her Medicare or DVA card (if none, a credit card)
• Complete home address
• The patient’s email address
• The main complaints and symptoms of the patient
• Information about the patients’ doctor or GP (Name, hospital or clinic name and address)

 

 

National home doctor service: What common problems can you treat?

A home visiting doctor can treat medical problems that cause discomfort to a patient that needs urgent care but are not too serious or life-threatening that require emergency treatment. These may include:

• Skin rashes
• Muscle sprains/strains
• Gastrointestinal problems (diarrhoea, vomiting, abdominal pains, etc.)
• Cough and colds
• Hives
• UTI
• Splinter

These are just some of the non-emergency conditions that warrant the help of a national home doctor service. Some patients who usually go to the emergency department to request for a repeat prescription or medical certificate can also call the home doctor’s hotline, and they would gladly assess you to avail of your request.

 

Taking care of our health is now made easier and more accessible, thanks to the availability of the national home doctor service. Now, we have no excuse for neglecting our overall health. Take advantage of this convenient and reliable medical service. Ensure that you have the hotline number of the nearest home doctor service anytime, anywhere.