Valencia. Marta Rubio was stunned when she saw the change in her dating viewer. Her breast examination scheduled at Hospital La Fe for February 9 was by phone, instead of in person. One more of the collateral damage of the coronavirus and the reorganization of the health system in the face of the pandemic. According to professionals and patients consulted, remote ‘explorations’ already extend to mental health, rheumatology or urology, among other specialties. And Workers Commissions warn of the “risk of losing the crucial clinical vision.”
Due to family history, and for more than a decade, Marta has been included in a program for the screening and early detection of breast cancer. “Every year I go to my check-up with an oncologist who examines me and evaluates the diagnostic tests they ask me.” As is logical, “it is a moment of anguish because you face many fears, but it is the best way to detect the disease in time.” In recent years, moreover, “I’ve had scares.” She faces the moment with fear, “but with the peace of mind that I am being watched.”
His surprise is that this year that consultation will not be in person, but by telephone. And Marta wonders: «How is a doctor going to explore me on the phone? The pandemic cannot be everything. Patients do not want to make a stop in our health. Faced with the change, he has chosen to find a private doctor so that the appointment is in person “and be able to face my life with ease.”
How is a doctor going to explore me like this? The pandemic cannot be everything and we do not want a health break »
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There are more similar cases. Beatriz, afflicted with body and joint pain, awaited her review of Rheumatology in Faith last year. “They changed it from face-to-face to telephone and, in the end, they simply didn’t call me.” He insisted and the answer was “that they had missed it.” She was seen after a new appointment, but she thinks the same as Marta. “I think there are things that are not assessed by telephone, but with a professional observation or an ultrasound in the consultation itself, as before the pandemic.”
Another bleeding case is reported by Matilde Ruiz, the daughter of a woman who has recently suffered two strokes and requires a speech therapist for her recovery in a specialty center in Valencia. «I had a face-to-face appointment and they changed it over the phone. He does not know the letters, nor read, nor write. Let’s see how he will recover like this », she laments indignantly.
Another similar experience is provided by a mother who prefers anonymity. «To control my son’s phimosis, the health center referred us to the urologist and the consultation with the specialist was by telephone. It only served to verify that, as it was not an urgent matter, it was delayed. That was the remote review, in a forward kick with no date on the calendar. “We’ll give you an appointment when the pressure drops,” they told him.
The pressure of the pandemic on professionals also leads to delays in telephone appointments. This is how Teresa, a neighbor of a village in l’Horta, states: “My baby had a fever, they gave me a telephone appointment and they did not call me at the agreed time, but two hours later, when I could no longer be on the phone for other obligations” .
Rosa Atienza, head of Health in Workers’ Commissions, warns of “less control and monitoring of chronic pathologies. The clinical examination is key and is lost when the patient is not present. In addition, there are things that he does not express well or does not appreciate as a doctor. Fernando García, Health delegate at CSIF, adds: «There is difficulty in calling the elderly people. Many are reluctant to this system and their health may deteriorate.
Víctor Pedrera, deputy secretary of the CESM Medical Union, also warns of “generalized delays” in specialized medical care. “For Ophthalmology they already make an appointment in July”, he gives as an example. “And the waiting time has doubled for some hernia or trauma operations,” he laments.
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