Virtual Visits Using TytoCare in Lexington, KY

Lori Jacob, APRN:

Virtual care is a way for patients to be seen by a provider for minor illnesses such as sore throat, cough, flu, COVID, UTI, rashes, and minor cuts and burns within the comfort of their own home. With this option, they do not have to come into a busy waiting room where they would be exposed to other ill patients. At Baptist Health, we use TytoCare. The TytoCare device comes with a virtual care kit that can be used at home. This device allows us to see inside the ears, and I'm able to see the eardrum and see if there's any redness or any fluid behind the eardrum. Same with the tongue blade. When they put it into their mouth, I can see in the back of their throat to see if it looks like strep throat or if it's just some drainage that's causing a sore throat.

With the stethoscope, I can listen to heart and lung sounds, which helps differentiate if they're wheezing, if they've got crackles in their lungs or if they're having some fluid in their lungs. I can differentiate those sounds. The TytoCare device can look at the skin, so we can differentiate rashes, and then it can listen to the abdomen, so we can hear bowel sounds in all four of the quadrants of the abdomen. It's about as hands on you can get without being in an actual doctor's office. I like using the TytoCare device, because I feel like I am accurately diagnosing the patient, so it makes me feel more comfortable with my decision-making.