30% of Patients with Telemedicine Appointments Fail to Connect 北市聯醫視訊門診 掛號爽約率近3成

Telemedicine demand has spiked since the Central Epidemic Command Center began counting positive rapid test results as a diagnosis, pending confirmation from a doctor. However, one city councilor says on May 2, 30 percent of people with telemedicine appointments failed to connect. Taipei City Hospital says they will make adjustments to ensure no resources are wasted .

During this telemedicine consultation, the doctor asks the patient how they've been doing since testing positive. The number of telemedicine patients has soared since the Central Epidemic Command Center began counting positive rapid test results as a diagnosis, pending confirmation from a doctor.

Zen Lin, Pediatrician: “When they have a virtual appointment -- that is, when they make an appointment, it equates to them making an appointment for the same day. After we see them, we directly report (cases) to the authorities. As for patients that haven't tested positive but are in isolation and can't leave their homes, all follow-ups will be conducted virtually as well.”

One doctor says two-thirds of the patients he sees every day are telemedicine appointments. Each call lasts 10 to 20 minutes. The doctors' work day has gotten longer. Telemedicine demand is spiking, but 4,129 of 14,111 patients that made appointments with Taipei City Hospital doctors between May 12 and May 25, or close to 30 percent, failed to connect on the call. A city councilor says there were even 27 telemedicine clinics during this period that saw zero patients, although appointments had been made. The councilor says this is a waste of medical resources.

Qu Da-cheng, Superintendent, Taipei City Hospital: “Medical resources are not being wasted. This is absolutely not the case. We're seeing an extremely high number of telemedicine patients. No doctors are waiting around for patients to show up, and we make staffing adjustments on the fly when needed.”

Taipei City Hospital says its doctors saw 600 telemedicine patients on the first day after the CECC announced its rapid test diagnosis policy, followed by 900 on the second day and over 1,100 on the third and fourth days. In addition, the hospital adjusts telemedicine availability on the fly to ensure medical resources are not wasted.

打開手機視訊鏡頭，仔細詢問病人確診後的身體狀況，為了讓高風險個案拿盡快拿到口服藥物，指揮中心開放全民適用快篩陽即確診後，也讓診所視訊看診人數增加。

小兒科醫師林應然表示：「當他做視訊看診的時候，就是掛號時，等同他當天來掛號，當天來掛號，我們看完就直接就通報，而且不是確診那時候要視訊看診，因為他在居家隔離中，他也沒辦法出來，之後的追蹤都是用視訊看診解決的。」

醫生表示，目前診所每天約有3分之2的病患都是使用預約視訊看診，每名患者看診時間約需10至20分鐘不等，相當忙碌，也拉長看診時間，但就在視訊看診需求大增的同時，有議員卻發現從5月12日到5月25日，在台北市聯合醫院1萬4111個視訊掛號中，就有4129人沒有如期看診，爽約率近3成，其中還有高達27個視訊門診發生，已開診雖有人掛號，但看診數卻是0，質疑浪費醫療人力資源。

北市聯合醫院總院長璩大成強調：「（視訊）入口裡面，他再對應候線的醫師，所以絕對不會有所謂的人力上的浪費，絕對不會有的，而且使用量非常的大，他就是線上病人，有就有，沒有就沒有，而且人力的調配是依據那個量隨時可增減。」

聯醫表示，快篩陽即確診政策宣布後，第1天聯醫的視訊看診數就有600人，第2天又衝到900人，第3、4天的視訊看診數更創新高，都有1100人次，且線上視訊看診與過去實體看診是由一位醫師坐在診間、再搭配一位護士的模式是不一樣的，醫院也都會因應當天的需求，去調整開設的視訊診間數，絕對不會有醫療人力浪費的情況。