A new screening tool for COVID-19 is available online that will directly connect patients to healthcare providers via telemedicine. Hawaiʻi UTeleHealth gives information on when to immediately seek care and how to connect with a doctor by way of a live video chat. The service is free to the patient or only charged to their insurance (no-copay).
The screening tool was developed by the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa John A. Burns School of Medicine (JABSOM) in collaboration with the Pacific Basin Telehealth Resource Center in the UH Mānoa College of Social Sciences. Other partners include University Health Partners of Hawaiʻi and the Hawaiʻi Department of Health.
“We are partnering with Hawaiʻi providers from all islands to bring this service to patients across the state,” said Kelley Withy, director of the JABSOM Pacific Basin Area Health Education Center.
- Related UH News story: UH promotes the use of telehealth since 2010, April 17, 2020
The telemedicine service is staffed by both volunteers and paid providers from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., seven days a week. During that time, Withy said, the tool can connect anyone to a telehealth provider in as quickly as two minutes.
The website also lists testing locations and links to other general information. At the beginning of the online screener, it will direct patients to call 911 or their hospital if they are experiencing potentially life-threatening symptoms. Otherwise, the next set of questions will ask the patient if they are having symptoms that could indicate infection with COVID-19. If the patient has symptoms, they are recommended to contact their primary care provider or can choose to be connected to a telehealth provider via Hawaiʻi UTeleHealth.
Hawaiʻi Telepsych
Hawaiʻi UTelehealth also provides online telepsychiatry and telepsychology where you can talk to a behavioral health specialist about worries, stress, anxiety, substance use or other concerns.
