Uc Davis Health System issued the following announcement on Dec 29.
Matt Condrin is a pretty typical college student. In between studies, he and his friends like to get outside for fun and exercise. The Sacramento resident goes to the University of Washington. On a day hike near Seattle before Thanksgiving, he slipped and fell, landing awkwardly on his hand. His thumb seemed to catch the brunt of the fall.
Being an active 20-year-old, Condrin didn’t pay much attention to the injury until he returned home to Sacramento for the holidays.
“It felt like a sprain,” said Condrin. “It didn’t really hurt much unless I flexed it. There wasn’t much pain.”
What concerned his father was that Condrin’s injury didn’t seem to be getting any better. So, even though it was after hours, he suggested that his son take advantage of UC Davis Health’s new telehealth Express Care service. It would be a good way to get some quick, expert medical advice without leaving their house.
“I called about 6:30 or 7 p.m., and less than 20 minutes later I was talking to a doctor [and seeing him] on my phone,” Condrin said, as he described the video-conferencing feature of Express Care. “He had me describe the symptoms and show him where the pain was [using the smartphone’s video camera].”
From that speedy virtual encounter, Condrin’s Express Care physician ordered x-rays. The tests were scheduled the very next morning. All Condrin had to do was walk into the UC Davis Health clinic in Rancho Cordova, register, and he was ready to go.
“I got the results quickly, too,” Condrin added. “They were back within about 24 hours.” And the x-rays had good news: it wasn’t a fractured thumb, after all. It was just a significant sprain.
This was Condrin’s first experience seeing a doctor from the convenience of home. But the virtual interaction was very familiar to him. The pandemic has made Zoom, Facetime and other video platforms like Express Care common, comfortable and easy to use. It’s just another way of doing business, communicating and learning. Indeed, the pandemic has pushed much of Condrin’s college studies online.
“That’s all my school is right now,” Condrin chuckled. “So, I’m pretty comfortable with that type of thing.”
Condrin says he’s planning to rejoin his school’s rowing team next year. Using UC Davis Health’s Express Care service helped ensure that nothing was wrong with his injured thumb.
“It was very helpful,” said Condrin, who added that he’d recommend it to others, too.
About Telehealth Express Care
Telehealth Express Care video visits bring care teams to patients through the MyUCDavisHealth app and web portal. Individuals can connect with a UC Davis Health care team member for same-day and extended-hours video visits using a smartphone, tablet, or personal computer to discuss urgent care issues such as flu-like symptoms, coughs, urinary tract issues, gastrointestinal problems, joint pain and more. And it can all be done without leaving the house or workplace.
Original source can be found here.
Source: Uc Davis Health System
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