I have very much enjoyed doing home visits of all kinds.  I have done home visits throughout my career.  These tend to be the most easily remembered and the most cherished.  That is one of the reasons for my business name.  In the past, most of my home visits have been to people who, for whatever reason, have not been able to come in to see me.  Home visits have over the years given me a different perspective on people so that I can help them better.  I have also found that most people are very grateful for my willingness to see them at home. 

Over the years, I have been able to form good bonds with others and more recently I have continued to do home visits for those that cannot travel but I have broadened my scope to include well child visits, and sick visits for people who could otherwise travel.  

With well child checks in the office setting, parents have had to be more concerned about what their children are doing and therefore cannot concentrate on education as much as at home.  The children at home are also much calmer and it seems easier for me to build rapport with them including infants.  Infants are much less stressed, and I can examine them more completely without tears.  I have come to understand their personality as well as their physical and developmental stages easier in the home setting.  The bond is stronger with them as I recently experienced when one of these children came to office, and even in that new environment was not stressed.  With larger families, home visits are also helpful as they allow children to be in their own environment and can keep themselves occupied when not being examined and allows for better communication with the parents.  

Sick visits can also be easily done at home.  It seems easier to keep contamination to a minimum.  Point of care testing can also be done there, including strep, flu, COVID-19, and urinalysis.   The only drawback is travel time and I have tried to keep that at a minimum by doing them at the beginning or end of the day.  Travel cannot always be done and in some situations, I have done telemedicine, video visits, for sick people.  I unfortunately cannot examine as I would like but I can “eyeball” them in order to know what needs to be done in those situations in order to get people better.  Telemedicine is especially helpful to monitor progress or to give results.

The next time you are looking at being seen, ask about being seen at home, or through telemedicine platforms that are available with this practice.