THE excitement and anticipation for the most festive time of the year often cloud our thoughts into not anticipating any accidents, mishaps or illnesses — although these are all very common during the season.

Nevertheless, your holiday can still run smoothly if you utilise resources such as telemedicine — doctors available to you online via phone call, video call or text messaging. Whether this flu season causes you to get sick, your seasonal allergies get worse, an accident happens while prepping for the holidays or any other non-emergent mishap, you can turn to digital health-care platforms, such as MDLink, for safe, convenient and reliable services,

Keep reading to understand how you can count on telemedicine services this holiday.

How telemedicine can be useful this holiday

• Helps to avoid the holiday traffic. While telemedicine allows you to avoid long waits in the doctor’s office and pharmacy, you may still get caught up in the holiday rush. This can include increased traffic as well as crowding on public transportation. Instead, speak with a specialist online from the comfort of your home, or wherever you may be, through platforms such as MDLink — helping you to avoid the roads as much as possible.

•Facilitates treatment from familiar providers during travel. Whether you’re travelling locally or abroad, you can use MDLink’s platform anywhere that has access to the Internet — allowing you access to your local health-care provider(s) who are aware of your medical history and can provide diagnosis/treatment within minutes virtually. Additionally, if you are in a rural area where the nearest health-care facility is not nearby, you can use this platform to access immediate health care without having to travel a far distance.

• Monitoring and care for chronic illnesses. Most take time off during the holiday season, but your chronic illnesses does not. Whether you have a specific concern about your illness, need to do a routine check-up or have a monthly prescription refilled, telemedicine can assist you to get all this done without running the risk of further complications.

When not to use telemedicine over the holidays

While telemedicine is extremely convenient and will prove to be a useful tool for many this holiday, there are some instances where this form of treatment is not appropriate. If you have any of the following symptoms please visit an urgent care facility immediately:

•Excess bleeding and/or vomiting

• Falling unconscious or severe head trauma

• Breaking or fracturing a body part

• Severe allergic reactions

• Emergent flare-ups of chronic illnesses (such as lupus, cancer, diabetes, etc)

• Severe chest pain

Additionally, if you do choose to contact a doctor via telemedicine for an accident such as a fracture, for example, they may send you a referral to go to an in-person facility to get some X-rays done. If your doctor online suggests that you get in-person care, please do so immediately.

We hope for everyone a safe, enjoyable, and accident-free holiday. However, if anything does happen, know that you can count on MDLink wherever you are and whenever you need medical advice.

Dr Ché Bowen, a digital health entrepreneur and family physician, is the CEO & founder of MDLink, a digital health company that provides telemedicine options. Check out the company’s website at www.theMDLink.com. You can also contact him at drchebowen@themdlink.com.