Towards the beginning of the end of in-office medical consultations? On Twitter, the photo of a teleconsultation booth that would be installed in a Monoprix worries many Internet users. “Disappearance of medicine. The Covid was an opportunity to reduce the activity of city doctors to Doliprane, then to vaccination, today to have their vaccination status checked by ARS, to degrease hospitals and install medicine in the cabin. supermarket ”, criticizes the tweet relaying this cliché.
Disappearance of medicine. The Covid was an opportunity to reduce the activity of city doctors to Doliprane, then to vaccination, today to have their vaccination status checked by ARS, to degrease hospitals and install medicine in the cabin. supermarket👇 pic.twitter.com/5sf2zvaiVV
– Monique Plaza (@ MoniquePlaza3) October 5, 2021
We see summaries, on a sign intended for potential users, the main advantages of in-cabin teleconsultation: “Teleconsult with a general practitioner, specialist or paramedic in less than 15 minutes”, “Find 7 medical devices in the cabin: dermatoscope , otoscope, oximeter, stethoscope, thermometer, balance, tensiometer »…
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If this device does exist within certain Monoprix brands, it is not completely new: the first two teleconsultation booths designed by the Tessan company were installed respectively in Paris (Porte de Châtillon) and in Troyes (Aube ) in April 2021.
“The teleconsultation booths in these spaces work without an appointment. After a wait of about 7 minutes, patients can consult a general practitioner through interposed screens. They simply have to insert their Vitale card, without advancing any fees. Then, they can use the various tools available (blood pressure monitor, stethoscope, thermometer, etc.) by following the doctor’s instructions, present by videoconference ”, detailed our colleagues from Echoes.
At the time, the National Council of the Order of Physicians (Cnom) did not fail to react to this initiative, in a press release asking the government to “react to protect the medical act and the patients”. “Health is not a business. […] The care of patients exclusively by teleconsultation undermines the ethical requirements of quality, safety and continuity of care ”, particularly deplored the authority.
A service valued by customers in some cases
Contacted by 20 minutes, the Monoprix group indicates that “this telemedicine service is absolutely not intended to replace a face-to-face consultation or to promote a unique model in the practice of the medical art”, but that it “constitutes a complementary tool in the course of care and can constitute a particularly relevant response in medical deserts and in areas under stress. “
“Customers appreciate this local service, in addition to their attending physician, in particular for prescription renewals, obtaining a medical certificate for a sport or even a blood pressure test”, continues the group, including six brands now have a teleconsultation booth (a second in Nation, in Paris, but also in Colombes, Croisé-Laroche and Annecy).