Customer Case Studies

Agatharied Hospital

Certified video consultation with CARY Medical

avodaq

14. Aug 2024 | 5 min.

Außenansicht des Agatharied Krankenhauses
Clear benefits

Innovative solution with added value for everyone involved

Professor Doctor Stefan Lorenzl ist Head of the Neurology and Palliative Medicine Clinics at Agatharied Hospital and is a medical doctor by conviction and passion. He has been using CARY Medical from avodaq for video consultations in his department for almost two years now. The certified tool is specialised for use in clinics and care centres. Professor Lorenzl explains in the interview how it allows him to significantly improve the care and treatment of his patients, particularly in neurology.

Portrait von Prof. Lorenzl vom Krankenhaus Agatharied
Professor Doctor Stefan Lorenzl, Head of the Neurology and Palliative Medicine Clinics, Agatharied Hospital

Professor Lorenzl, why are you personally driving the topic of video consultations?

Because it’s simply practical. I’ve been using video telephony for years and have had very good experiences with it in neurology and palliative care. Some of our patients are very restricted in their mobility, so the video consultation is helpful. It’s primarily about debriefing consultations and follow-ups after a hospital appointment, but also about short pre-appointment consultations or second opinions. We also have an international customer base. The virtual consultation with CARY Medical makes our work a lot easier.

„The virtual consultation with CARY Medical makes our work a lot easier.“

Professor Doctor Lorenzl, Specialist in Neurology & Palliative Medicine

Why not offer these conversations over the phone?

As a doctor, you have learnt to observe. That’s why the exchange over video is much more intense than over the phone. The way a patient speaks, reaches and moves allows me to directly judge what has changed. The image also serves as a check on the verbal statements, as emotions and visible changes can obviously be recognised much more clearly. Even sharing findings and medication lists is easier, the patient only has to hold them up to the camera. And last but not least, the personal connection and trust in the doctor grows because the doctor – figuratively speaking – comes to the patient’s own kitchen table. My experience is that I would not have been able to do the video consultations I have had so far with CARY Medical as a regular phone call.

But you will not replace personal contact?

You always have to see each other in person, that’s for sure. In Parkinson’s complex therapy, for example, patients stay with us in hospital for a two-week period. I can get to know them very well during the course of the day and get a comprehensive picture. But then meeting them in the video consultation is enough for about a year. Every channel has its place: Everything is real in the video too, you are sitting in the patient’s living room and are perceived as being present. After a year, you meet again in person.

How do patients react to the video consultation?

Extremely positive, because the patient usually needs advice and contact immediately. And that’s simply quicker via video. Of course, the first time is a challenge for many, so technical test runs are carried out in advance with family members. And then you’re just happy to see each other in person. Sometimes children, spouses or grandchildren accompany seriously ill patients to the video consultation, which also works quite well. Or the relatives want to speak alone with someone who understands the situation and their stresses and strains. The medium is quite flexible.

„I would ideally like to realise 70% of my long-distance calls using video consultation.“

Professor Doctor Lorenzl, Specialist in Neurology & Palliative Medicine

Eingangsbereich mit Schriftzug des Agatharied Krankenhauses

What are the challenges of a video consultation?

Our CARY Medical system is based on Webex and is therefore much less complicated than other tools we have used before. We haven’t had any interference or errors in the connection setup, sound or video. If there are any problems, it’s when the patients are logging in, because for some it’s new territory. But together we get it done. And if it just doesn’t work, you simply try again after a few days. Because the most important thing we can offer our patients is a personal connection.

What do doctors need to provide for the video consultation?

Digitalisation is easy to demand, but sitting in front of the camera requires a certain degree of confidence. For the consultation to be perceived as authentic, it depends on the doctor’s experience, authority and professional expertise. In addition, both parties tend to meet at eye level, whereby the patient can remain in their comfort zone. And the emotions conveyed by the video place higher demands on the doctor than a phone call. In return, the professional learning effect for doctors should not be underestimated, and the calculation is simple: I can provide more patients with higher quality care with the CARY Medical video consultation solution.

What are your plans for the future?

I would ideally like to realise 70% of my long-distance calls using video consultation. At the moment, it’s only around 15 – 20 %, the rest is over the phone. There is still room for improvement here, but acceptance is growing. I’m also planning to use the application’s whiteboard function in the video consultation in future. Expanding this is the next level of digitalisation for me. After all, the medical profession requires continuous learning.

Professor Lorenzl, thank you for the interview and we look forward to more exciting collaborative projects in the future!

Logo Krankenhaus Agatharied
Agatharied Hospital

Agatharied Hospital is a modern acute hospital in the district of Miesbach and an academic teaching hospital of the LMU Munich. The hospital includes all specialist departments and areas of basic and standard care as well as several medical speciality centres.

Head office: District of Miesbach
Medical specialists: around 450 employees
Number of beds: 350
Industry: Healthcare