Sberbank : Doctors are the New Heroes photo project by SberHealth

The SberHealth online medical service has created a photo project for Medical Worker's Day titled Doctors are the New Heroes. The project is dedicated to telehealth doctors of diverse specialties and brings together stories about transitioning to a digital format of healthcare provision. It is thanks to these specialists that every Russian resident can seek help at any time of day, anywhere in the world that has internet. A doctor's appointment can be arranged in a matter of minutes, without having to spend time waiting in line or on transport.

In SberHealth's project, telehealth doctors talk about how every day they help people who are sometimes thousands of kilometers away from them, all the while bearing in mind the principles of evidence-based medicine. They discuss their work and the advantages of this form of communication both for patients and for doctors: security, time saving, and helping more people than in-person reception would allow.

Telehealth consultations began to grow rapidly in popularity in Russia in 2020 when this format of medical care became one of the most accessible for patients. The number of online doctor visits through SberHealth increased fivefold, and in 2021 online appointments not only remain but are increasingly more popular. The number of consultations carried out by telehealth doctors already exceeds figures for the entirety of last year in several regions.

It was easy to make the transition to a telehealth appointment format, which represents comfortable consultations in a mode both my patients and I like. I can spend as much time as I like in consultation. Half an hour is a comfortable amount of time - almost three times as much as you can take in a clinic. I can be certain that the patient has asked all their questions because often they mention important things at the end of an appointment, so there is a constraint factor. A person needs time to feel ready to talk.

Anna Markovich

Doctor, SberHealth online medical service

There are definite advantages over the usual form of appointment: you are occupied only with the patient. You are not thinking about filling out reports or documentation and you have more time for consultation than in a regular clinic.

To answer the question about the advantages of telehealth, it would be easier to refer you to comments left by the patients themselves as feedback. They tell us that wait time for appointments is significantly shorter and that they do not have to waste time on transport. They can seek consultation from highly qualified specialists, regardless of how far away they live. When it comes to the colleagues with whom I work, they really are excellent specialists that I myself would consult.

Suna Isakova

Doctor, SberHealth online medical service

We are pleased to see trust in telehealth growing by the day, alongside an increase in the number of patients using this service. As technology evolves and the level of knowledge increases, online doctor's appointments will become as much of a habit as other contemporary everyday services, such as ordering taxis, food, or groceries. The Doctors are the New Heroes project aims to showcase a different area in healthcare - telehealth; that doctors working online are just as qualified as your trusted doctor; that you can have the same sort of consultation as you would with a doctor at a hospital, only quicker and more conveniently; that there is a real, live person on the other side of the screen who is ready to hear you out and help. Starting work on a telehealth platform is indeed an important step for doctors, as it is quite challenging to transition to a new format of work. It is thanks to people like this that traditions are gradually changing today. Doctors are ready to experiment, to create new methods of patient interaction and improve existing ones, so that we all live long, happy, and healthy lives.

Yulia Kalintseva

Marketing Director, SberHealth online medical service