How tele-emergency care helped a Veteran on the road to recovery
“My telehealth emergency care visit helped me keep my active lifestyle,” said Daniel Bryan, an Air Force Veteran, about his recent experience using tele-emergency care.
An unexpected injury
On a sunny day in Orlando, Bryan decided to take his children to the beach to enjoy jumping in the surf. When he tweaked his knee after a particularly powerful wave knocked him down, Bryan thought nothing of it. He went home, took a pain reliever and went to bed.
But the next morning, Bryan could see and feel the inflammation in his knee.
“I woke up in excruciating pain,” Bryan said. “I couldn’t even put weight on my leg and knew I needed to see someone right away.”
Telehealth triage
As a Veteran who had been using the VA health care system in Orlando for several years, Bryan immediately called VA Health Connect to see if he could be seen at the medical center that day. It had no openings, but the nurse on the line recommended he see an emergency care provider through VA Telehealth Services.
“The nurse connected me right away,” Bryan said. “It was a seamless process. I was able to get on a video call and show the doctor what was going on.”
On-the-spot care
Bryan was impressed with the care that he received from the emergency care provider.
“After looking at my knee and asking me to do a couple of movements, she knew exactly what was wrong,” said Bryan. “She told me how much pain medicine to take and what type of brace to get to support my knee.”
The emergency care provider was able to schedule an MRI appointment for Bryan the next day, speeding up his eventual diagnosis and recovery.
Quick triage leads to fast recoveries
Bryan has since started physical therapy for his knee and credits the initial tele-emergency care appointment for the progress he’s made.
“I’m glad I could use tele-emergency care, because if I had walked on it into an urgent care or emergency department, it would have taken longer, and I could have made it worse,” Bryan said. “I trust VA doctors. The atmosphere at the medical centers and online is incredible.”
Veterans can review tele-emergency care options on VA.gov’s Tele-Emergency Care page on VA.gov or through VA Health Connect.
Topics in this story
More Stories
The new year is a great time to reevaluate your health goals.
Army Veteran Kyle Blake found healing from PTSD and addiction with support from his wife and Northern Arizona VA therapists. He now advocates for fellow Veterans.
In a groundbreaking partnership, the 85th Fighter Group and VHSO ensure pilots are mission-ready.
How come I never get responses to my comments ?
No more TeleHealth for me. I did it once while at a CBOC and with an alleged nurse present that set up the video connect.
The alleged doctor where ever she was put me on a medication that a year later I found out that I absolutely should not be using that medication for my condition.
Never again.
Use that money to hire real doctors at the CBOCs. And real nurses.
Have a nice day.
I love that article it’s definitely excellent for our our Veterans .