Česky
How would you evaluate the importance of the online counselling service after 2 years of operation within the Hořovice website?
I think that the existence of the counselling room deepens the relationship between patients and our hospital. Patients can establish a dialogue with us even before they cross the threshold of our surgery. It allows them to independently verify a suspicion or diagnosis, it can encourage them to see a doctor. Of course, it also provides answers to practical questions about hospitalisation, the running of the hospital, or what to take with you to the maternity ward. I myself have been involved with the counselling service since the spring of this year, but it is clear that the counselling service has found a stable circle of supporters in its time. We usually receive several inquiries a day.
Is there a department that receives the most inquiries? What areas of expertise does the advice centre cover?
Yes, there are also favoured specialties within the clinic, with orthopaedics receiving the most enquiries, closely followed by gynaecology, where enquiries about pregnancy and the possibility of giving birth in our hospital dominate. There are also a lot of enquiries in the neurology or general category. However, the consulting room has nine doctors who are ready to answer for their specialty and represent practically all the specialties in our hospital.
Is it difficult for you to answer questions from patients with whom you have no personal contact?
Certainly, it is virtually impossible to make a diagnosis without a clinical examination and on the basis of limited data, which is why our responses often include a recommendation to make an appointment. As I said in the introduction, we do not aim to make a diagnosis via e-mail, but rather to reassure the patient that it is nothing serious, or on the contrary, to encourage them to see a doctor, or to direct them to a specialist who can address their difficulties.
Are there any recurring questions? Do you answer them?
Some queries are often repeated, but we always try to answer every query. The counselling service has accumulated an impressive number of answers in its lifetime, which is actually a great wealth. Often, readers would only need to read the answers in the field they are looking for and they might even get an answer to the question they were just about to ask.
Do you also get unusual queries? Can you give an example?
The queries are varied. For example, an unusual query was when a reader asked if we could put both hands in our hospital. The head of orthopaedics, Milan Pastucha, MD, replied that if he had a reasonable reason to do so, then yes...
What would you wish the clinic in the years to come?
That it enjoys at least as much interest as before. And I would like to thank all the doctors involved for their cooperation.
