Adam J. Schoenfeld, MD, a physician at the University of California in San Francisco and lead researcher of the study, and colleagues recruited 67 volunteers to test out how well eight popular virtual visit companies diagnosed acute medical problems, such as sore throat, sinus infection, low back pain and urinary tract infection.
Here are five points:
1. About one in four patients got the wrong diagnosis or none at all from the virtual visits.
2. Virtual physicians followed standard protocols for diagnosing and treating these problems only 54 percent of the time.
3. The companies varied in how well they followed treatment guidelines, with standard care given anywhere from 34 percent to 66 percent of the time across the eight websites.
4. Virtual physicians got complete histories and did thorough exams from 52 percent to 82 percent of the time.
5. Virtual visits resulted in correct diagnoses from 65 percent to 94 percent of the time.
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