The New York Times did a huge spread on the rise of doctors giving consultations via Skype video. Check it out here. http://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/12/health/modern-doctors-house-calls-skype-chat-and-fast-diagnosis.html?partner=rss&emc=rss&_r=0
I will leave it to others to figure out when and where this is appropriate, or not. But I am certain that patients and doctors communicating via Skype video is going to become increasingly common.
My biggest concern is for patients and doctors who need to either give or receive medical information, but don’t, because they are simply afraid of appearing on Skype video.
All humans have some level of vanity and all are afraid of looking or sounding stupid, but wouldn’t it be a shame if some people died, just because some doctors or patients were fearful of communicating on Skype video?
Here are the most important tips for communicating on Skype.
- Have the camera at your eye level (If you are using a laptop, put your computer on a stack of books).
- Use a plug in, clip-on microphone (you can buy one on Amazon for $7) (and if you have a medical emergency, forget about it)
- Look at the camera, not at the speaker or all around the room.
- Don’t have a window or lights behind you.
- Have a light in front of you.
If you want more tips on how to communicate on Skype, you can access (at no cost) the first four lectures from my How to Speak and Present Online course here
https://www.udemy.com/how-to-speak-and-present-online/#/
And if you’d like access to the entire $297 course for only $5, here is a special pass https://www.udemy.com/how-to-speak-and-present-online/?couponCode=tjwalker5