A state-licensed physiotherapist—or one registered with a recognized national body like the Indian Association of Physiotherapists (IAP)—is the ideal specialist for online consultations.
However, not every physiotherapist, even when clinically sound, is able to deliver results efficiently, in online mode.
It is also a service, which requires fees to be paid before the appointment starts.
Further on, unless done in a smart way, a person risks visibly exposing his or her environment to the consulting professional.
In the age of cyber-frauds, this makes availing an online physiotherapy service a matter of personal safety and data privacy first and then of a therapeutic value in the second place.
West Delhi based Sugar Den- The Physiotherapy Clinic, at Janakpuri, near Maharaja Agrasen Bhawan, recommends the following safety-tier preferences, to avail the service in a secure manner:
1. THE SAFEST
If you know a physiotherapist personally, or get a confident reference from a family member, colleague or a friend, contact him or her to know the steps to book an appointment, e-pay and consult in online mode.
2. CONDITIONALLY SAFE
If you do not know any such physiotherapist, search for ‘online physiotherapist near me’ on the internet. You will discover two broad categories of online physiotherapy service providers there:
- One, those mentioned on aggregator platforms, corporate hospitals, or home health providing organizations.
- Second, private practicing physiotherapists, directly offering online services, through their own clinic’s website.
In both the above cases, websites mentioned under the ‘sponsored’ categories in the search results page carry a potential risk of being a phishing or fraud version of the actual one.
To be on the safer side, close or remove the ‘Sponsored search results’ and then check the available websites directly. The degree of safety is further ensured by how well you or your near and dear ones personally know and trust any of those websites or organizations to be safe and efficient.
Remember, it is always the safest to online consult a locally serving physiotherapist only, so that you may also be followed-up in-person, as and when required clinically.
3. UNSAFE
Not following the above cautions may cause leaking of your bank-related information, or the visible details of your personal living or working environment, to the supposed ‘online physiotherapist’, who may actually be a fraud in disguise.
Google reviews just provide a primary layer of information about any concerned physiotherapist or his or her employing organization.
Google profile of any physiotherapist, or of an organization which claims to provide online physio services, if it doesn’t show any of the actual images of the physiotherapist or of his or her clinic, may be a fraudster or might be providing a sub-standard service.
Therefore, always insist on talking with the concerned physiotherapist first, before signing-up for an appointment.
At Sugar Den, we prioritize patient safety and data privacy alongside expert care.
Connect with us today to understand, how we are providing quality online physiotherapy services since 2019.
If you already know us, or have been following our activities for a while, you can book an appointment today, from anywhere in India.
Disclaimer: The above article is an indication only, for readers to understand the importance of safety in an online consultation. Sugar Den- The Physiotherapy Clinic doesn’t claim any concerned online physiotherapy practitioner’s or any service provider’s online therapeutic services as something inefficient or wrong. The safety considerations are not limited to the points mentioned above. The details provided must be independently confirned by any reader, through his or her family, relatives, friends and workplace colleagues, before deciding to sign-up for an online physiotherapy appointment. All rights are reserved with Start Exercises Physiotherapy Services, New Delhi, of whoch Sugar Den is an initiative.