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What can e-med offer?
We
are a doctors surgery that you can contact
by e-mail, phone or webcam. If we cannot sort
out your problems in that manner, then we can refer you to a specialist in the field you need for further investigations or examination.
All the services that you would normally find
in your GP and more such as health check referrals
are available through e-med.
Our service is quick, friendly and efficient
and gives you the peace of mind of knowing that
you can contact your doctor TODAY.
Why is e-med still the only service like this in the world?
Since we started, many have tried to copy what we do, BUT e-med remains unique. We offer far more than a single email back.
We will arrange any referral/investigation or even a prescription for you. That is how we can offer online diagnosis and treatment. And now we offer Skype Video Consultations - the first medical practice in the world to do so.
Can I obtain a prescription for Insomnia, Anxiety/Mental Health Issues or Pain like symptoms?
It is e-med Policy that medication of this sort is potentially abusable, and as such can only be prescribed by the patient's normal NHS GP or family doctor.
Can you diagnose by
e-mail?
Yes,
in certain circumstances as many medical diagnoses
are made from the history of the problem alone,
and in many problems the course of action
is not dependent on the results of a physical
examination.
E-mail is like a slow conversation - it is
dependent on typing speed and server speed.
When you first start consulting with e-med
you may feel more at ease by just phoning,
but as you get to know us, or if requests
are simple then in time you will be happier
with e-consulting.
If you have a webcam we can consult using
that as well.
We can give medical advice, organise referrals
and prescriptions for people in the UK or
abroad.
We are here to help you. So if you want to
consult by phone or webcam, that's fine, and if you're happier e-mailing we
can do that too.
We integrate all current communication means
to help you access your e-med
doctor.
Is it secure to e-mail my symptoms or details
to e-med?
We
use an SSL encrypted server for your e-mails,
but if you are concerned about any details
or results being passed to you on the Net
then we can call you or fax with them just
as easily.
In some cases your doctor may even ask to
see you if there is anything that needs handling
more personally.
What if you can't make
a diagnosis by e-mail?
When we receive your e-mail and the doctor feels that he needs to speak to you to discuss your symptoms, he will call you immediately and we can help you that way.
But if we feel it is necessary, we may ask you to video consult to effect a diagnosis or to treat you, or even refer you to a consultant specialist.
What about medical investigations?
If
you need further medical investigations to work towards
a diagnosis, such as blood tests or scans, then your e-med doctor can refer you appropriately, usually to a hospital in London. If you are unable to come to London then we will
arrange for them to be performed at a site
convenient to your location.
Other investigations can also be arranged
remotely such as X-rays, Ultrasounds, CT
or MRI scans.
The results will be sent to your e-med
doctor who can then advise you on what to
do next.
How quickly will you
respond and what hours are you available?
This will depend upon the problem. The e-mails are an 'open' round the clock service and are monitored throughout the day with the urgent queries taking priority. On average, you will receive a response within one working hour (GMT time) and we strive to answer all emails within 4 working hours
Can you refer me on
my insurance?
Yes. If you are privately insured, as your
private GP, we can refer you to whoever your
policy allows.
Can you prescribe without
seeing me?
Yes, if the condition is straightforward to diagnose or it is a repeat prescription. However there may be occasions when you will need to be seen before prescribing certain medication, either by Skype or by referral.
If you are outside the UK then advice can
be given on how to obtain your medication.
We can contact a pharmacist near where you
are for the medication to be picked up by
you.
How much does it cost?
Membership costs £20.00 (around €24) for each member
per annum.
Each time you use the service, for example for prescription requests, referrals, diagnosis, etc., an additional
charge of £15.00 (around €18) is made. No matter how many emails it takes on one particular medical concern, the charge remains £15. If you need
to be referred to a consultant or specialist, then the charge
depends on his / her fees plus any investigations.
Is there a fee for all consultations?
No. If you have a simple medical query, then you can use our FREE Nurse Consultation service.
Why do I have to become
a member?
At e-med, your health and safety are our priorities.
We do appreciate that there are difficulties with e-consulting
and so we require you to become a
member of our practice. When you join e-med, you
fill in a detailed Confidential Health Questionnaire which we can refer to on our database for any current or future medical concerns.
As a member, you will receive a unique PIN and Password. This is required for any future emails or consultations and for the Doctor to access your previous medical history and treat you confidentially.
Being a member means that consultation is quicker,
and that we can charge you AFTER a consultation,
rather than by the minute in a chatroom like
other sites. The price is fixed no matter how many e-mails
or phone calls it takes .
How do I pay?
E-Med is primarily an online company and in order for you to utilise our service safely and efficiently, you will be prompted to enter your card details via our Secure Trading page online. You will be able to view the SSL certificate online and all major cards are accepted including Visa, Mastercard, Maestro, Visa Debit and American Express. We do not hold any of your card details on our records.
What happens to my medical
notes?
These are kept offline on our private database and hence secure from any hackers. If requested, we can send you or your GP details of your consultations or investigation results for your own files, either by e-mail, post or fax.
Do I have to leave my
NHS GP to become an e-med member?
No you don't and we don't advocate it either.
Unless you have Private Medical Insurance (PMI), it can be
very expensive to pay for ongoing medical
investigations or hospital referrals. If you don't
have PMI you can use us to access quicker consultations and
receive advice, diagnoses and even prescriptions
without the usual wait for an NHS GP appointment. However, if there is anything that may be a financial
burden to you if it is obtained privately,
then we can advise you on how to access it
through the NHS so you don't have to pay.
Does e-med inform my family doctor about consultations?
The doctors at e-med are happy to inform any other doctor you feel necessary about e-med consultations. We will need their full address if you wish us to do this.
However if you do not want us to inform any other doctor about your e-med consultation then we will not do so. We will then take full responsibility for your care as pertains to the nature of the consultation.
Please note, even if you prefer us not to, there may be medical situations where we will still insist on contacting your other healthcare provider. This is extremely rare but will only occur if our doctors feel that it is in your best interest for your GP to be informed. If this does occur, you will be informed accordingly.
Likewise you can simply print off your e-mail consultation and show this to your family doctor as you wish.
How do you ensure that
no one else can contact you and access my medical
notes?
We
need your PIN and Password on top of every
e-mail you send us, these are kept at the
e-med
surgery to verify you are who you say you
are.
Similarly if you phone us we will ask for
these details too.
If you lose your membership details or forget
your password, you can call or e-mail us and
we will ask for certain personal details to
verify your identity. Alternatively, you can fill in the Pin and Password request form.
Are you registered with the Care Quality Commission?
Yes we are registered for
"Treatment for disease, disorder and injury" and "Transport services, triage and medical advice
provided remotely".
Our registration number is: CRT1-179645951.
Are
the prescriptions private or NHS?
All
our prescriptions are issued privately. Therefore
they do not incur the £7.40 NHS Prescription
Charge. The charge for the prescription -
that is paid to your pharmacist - reflects
the actual cost of the medication, which in
many cases is less than the NHS Prescription
Charge.
If the medication is going to cost a lot more
than this, then we or the pharmacist will inform you and you
should be able to get your NHS GP to issue
it, although this will not be as quick as
getting it though e-med.
May
I claim on my travel insurance?
If
you become unwell when you are abroad and
need to access our services, some insurance
policies will cover the resulting e-med
charges.
Please check with your insurance company before
you go.
Who can join e-med?
e-med provides services for all UK and EU citizens as well as in any country where it is lawful to do so. In the event that you seek to join e-med from a country that does not permit online consultation (e.g. the USA), we will inform you prior to processing your application and return any joining fee.
A full list of countries whose residents are eligible for e-med's services is available here.
Does online prescribing of antibiotics cause increased resistance?
The current trend of increasing antibiotic resistance across the world has focused attention on the ability to get an antibiotic prescription from online pharmacies and other websites.
We estimate that within the EU as a whole, there might be as much as one thousand online prescriptions a week for antibiotics to cover urinary infections, STIs, respiratory and skin infections. Of course, any increase in prescribing in theory can increase the chance of resistance - but online prescribing should be seen alongside current face to face prescribing volumes to get a clearer picture.
UK GPs have been commended for reducing antibiotic prescriptions by 2.5 million courses in 2015. However this takes the overall level down from 36.5 to 34 million courses in the same year. A 7% decrease only.
Across the EU, there is a wide variance in prescribing antibiotics - with Holland and Estonia as the "best" or lowest volume prescribers, and Greece, France and Italy as the "worst" or highest volume. The UK is below the EU average. The overall volume in prescriptions in the EU yearly stands at about 700 million courses per year as a conservative estimate.
The Center for disease Control (CDC) keeps a close eye on US prescribing- and the most recent annual figure shows 262 million courses. So, the EU and USA gives a figure of just under 1 billion courses annually. Therefore online prescribing accounts for 0.0005% of this global figure. That is one in every two thousand prescriptions. But the US and EU are low volume prescribers compared to the rest of the world.
According to the latest World Health Organisation (WHO) figures, the largest volumes are prescribed in India and China. And there has been a 50% increase in global prescribing from year 2000 to 2010. The majority (67%) of this increased prescribing comes from the BRICS countries - i.e. Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. In most of these countries - a paper prescription after seeing a doctor is not needed as antibiotics are bought over the counter. This also makes it difficult to get exact prescribing data - so figures are estimated on the low side.
The WHO figure for antibiotic prescriptions across the world annually stands at 7.5 billion. Therefore online prescribing accounts for 0.0000067% of this figure. Roughly one in every two hundred thousand prescriptions. The WHO also goes on to say that "more antibiotics are used in the food production from chickens, pigs and cows each year THAN IN THE ENTIRE HUMAN POPULATION". Of the antibiotics used in these 3 animals - only 9 are exclusive to them, 18 are shared with humans as well. This figure does not include sheep and the rapidly increasing aquaculture of farmed fish.
We would therefore suggest that online prescribing of antibiotics to the user base of busy professionals and people without registered doctors near them accounts for under one course per million prescribed each year in all forms. We agree that everyone should make efforts to decrease prescribing - however there are some houses that should be put in order before others.
References:
UK: https://content.digital.nhs.uk/gpprescribingdata
EU: https://ecdc.europa.eu/en/eaad/antibiotics-news/Documents/antimicrobial-consumption-ESAC-Net-summary-2015.pdf
CDC: https://www.cdc.gov/drugresistance/pdf/ar-threats-2013-508.pdf
WHO: https://www.who.int/antimicrobial-resistance/publications/surveillancereport/en/
We hope that these questions fully answer any
queries you may have but if there are any other
specific questions you have for e-med
call us on +44 (0) 20 3286 2033 or complete our Information request form.
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