Internet-based health care can degrade mission readiness

  • Published
  • By 2nd Lt Ashley Conner
  • 22nd Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs
MCCONNELL AIR FORCE BASE, Kan. (AFPN) --  The Internet can be used to do research, download music and even shop for cars. However, Airmen should use caution before using the Internet as a means for receiving medical treatment, officials said.

Many Airmen are taking advantage of the increasing number of Internet physician and pharmaceutical services to seek medical treatment, Air Force officials said. However, care rendered outside the built-in safeguards inherent in the military health system may have serious effects on safe operations and personnel readiness.

The risks include receiving medications without an appropriate medical evaluation, questionable credibility and credentialing of online physicians overseeing the prescribing process, and no access to the customer’s health-care records to screen for medication interactions and other illnesses.

“If an Airman decides to seek treatment or medications from an online physician, (he or she is) taking a giant risk because that physician doesn’t have access to the Airman’s medical history, and the non-face-to-face, doctor-to-patient interaction can lead to major misdiagnosis,” said Lt. Col. Kenneth McDonnell, professional services chief for Air Mobility Command’s surgeon general.

That treatment, he said, also can affect the mission.

“If an individual has to be hospitalized for an extended period of time (because of) drug interactions or serious illness resulting from Internet prescriptions, it can affect how the Air Force as a whole gets the mission done,” Colonel McDonnell said.

In one such case, a deployed person was taking medication not prescribed by a military physician or an approved health-care provider, he said.

“The medication made the individual extremely sensitive to the extreme heat, and, therefore, the individual had to be removed from the theater,” he said.

Many servicemembers are choosing to use online services even though they are recipients of health care at basically no charge, officials said. This concerns military health-care officials.

“Because there are certain medical services, such as herbal supplements, that the Air Force doesn’t provide or (isn’t) authorized to provide under Tricare, members may choose to go outside the military health system, regardless of the cost,” Colonel McDonnell said. “Individuals may also seek treatment for illnesses they feel could hurt their career if they were treated by an Air Force physician.

“The decision is risky, and it could cost them their life,” he said.

Airmen are responsible for reporting any medical treatment received through any civilian source, be it Internet physician and pharmacy services or other avenues, according to Air Force Instructions 48-123, Medical Examinations and Standards; 36-2104, Nuclear Weapons Personnel Reliability Program; and 41-210, Patient Administration Functions.

They must notify military health officials within three days of treatment, said Maj. Gen. (Dr.) Joseph E. Kelley, assistant surgeon general of the Air Force surgeon general’s health-care operations.

Entries reflecting downtown medical treatment that are placed in an Airman’s medical records ensure future health-care providers have a complete medical history from which to provide accurate diagnosis and treatment.

The average Airman may not associate Internet services with “getting care downtown,” and, therefore, may not provide the treatment information to his or her primary care manager, General Kelley said.

At this time, there are no hard numbers to determine how many Airmen use the Internet to obtain prescriptions or medical advice, but “the few incidents we’ve seen lead us to believe there probably are more,” Colonel McDonnell said.

For that reason, interim changes to Air Force instructions will be drafted to address the issue, officials said.

When in doubt about medical advice or care and treatment, Airmen can consult their local military medical provider.