Leading medical specialist Dr Joe Kosterich believes the next generation of doctors will engage in far less face to face consultations.
A Gold Coast study published in the Medical Journal of Australia has produced statistics to indicate the internet is already changing the traditional doctor-patient relationship.
Dr Kosterich says ‘internet prescriptions’ will become common practice amongst Australian medical practitioners embracing online technology.
Although older GP’s are also prescribing more health websites to educate patients about common ailments, “the medical students coming through the system now will almost exclusively adopt the practice” said Kosterich.
Supporting his prediction is the Australian visitor traffic to Virtual Medical Centre.com, which incorporates 19 separate free-of-charge ‘Medical Centres’ to address conditions including allergies, skin conditions, psychiatry and men, women and children’s health. The site attracted 371,000 visitors in September alone.
