What actually happens during a doctor's video consultation?

For many men, a consultation with a doctor is a crucial step, but often accompanied by uncertainty. Especially when it comes to topics like fatigue, performance, or hormonal health, the question arises: What does such a consultation actually entail? And what distinguishes a structured video consultation from a traditional in-person doctor's visit?

At Adon Health, a consultation with a doctor after a lab test is optional and can be booked separately, regardless of whether the test was performed through Adon or externally . This consultation takes place in collaboration with independent partner physicians and serves to jointly interpret lab results, symptoms, and personal circumstances. Adon Health provides the digital infrastructure and handles the organization – the medical decision rests solely with the physician.

Many men want to understand what to expect in such a consultation. This article provides an overview of the typical process, based on conversations with doctors and patients who have used Adon Health's video consultation service.

Preparation: What the doctor sees beforehand

Before the consultation begins, the doctor has already reviewed your lab results and other medical information gathered through a questionnaire. This gives him an initial overview of your situation. Dr. Rouben Czwikla, an independent collaborating physician, describes it this way:

"I look at the values ​​beforehand. This helps me to address the relevant aspects directly during the consultation. This leaves more time for the actual questions. Even though 30 minutes is relatively long for a doctor's appointment, I find it much more efficient to go into the consultation well-prepared." This preparation makes the consultation more efficient, allowing the time in the video appointment to be used more effectively.

Medical history: The structured approach

The conversation usually begins with an open-ended medical history . Doctors ask questions such as:

• How has your energy level changed in everyday life?

• Do you feel rested or rather exhausted in the morning?

• Have your libido or sleep patterns changed?

• What does your current daily stress level or training schedule look like?

These questions serve to place symptoms in a life context , rather than simply interpreting raw numbers. Another practical example: "I ask, 'How does your day feel?', not just, 'What are your test results?'" explains Niklas Marizy, Medical Director at Adon Health. This personal perspective helps to better understand the measurements.

Interpretation of values ​​in an individual context

Once the patient's medical history has been established, the doctors interpret the known test results. This isn't about general normal ranges, but rather about the relationship between lab values, lifestyle, and personal symptoms . The entire process is rarely a monologue by the doctor, but often a conversation between patient and doctor. Professor Michael Zitzmann, endocrinologist, andrologist, and chairman of the expert advisory board of Adon Health, explains: "A single value rarely explains everything. What's important is the overall picture and, above all, how someone feels and what the symptoms mean in their daily life."

Many of our patients often report having had information for years, but never finding someone to put all the pieces together . Men whose test results are in the lower normal range and who simultaneously experience significant symptoms report frustrating past experiences. In traditional doctor consultations, they were frequently told that their results were "still normal" and that they would have to accept it.

One patient describes it like this:

“At Adon Health, for the first time, someone really listened to me. My complaints were taken seriously and put into the right context. After my family doctor told me my levels were normal, I was able to start testosterone replacement therapy here after a professional medical evaluation.” Martin, 47

If you have had a lab test, you can book your doctor's appointment here: Doctor's Appointment

A comparison with the classic doctor's visit

In the traditional German healthcare system, time spent with a doctor is often very limited. Studies show that the average doctor's visit in Germany lasts only about 7.6 minutes , encompassing medical history, assessment, diagnosis, and treatment planning (Ärzteblatt, 2017). This duration can be too short to delve deeply into lifestyle, symptoms, and their interrelationships . This is precisely where the video consultation via Adon Health comes in: It is focused and structured , and with a duration of 30 minutes, it offers ample time for discussion and questions.

Treatment options: From orientation to decisions

If lab results and the patient's conversation indicate a need for medical treatment, such as low testosterone with corresponding symptoms, the doctor can initiate therapy independently . This could include, for example:

• Testosterone replacement therapy (TRT)

• Or other medically appropriate measures, always based on the assessment of the independent cooperating physician.

• The recommendation of lifestyle adjustments

Dr. Czwikla told us about a patient he had been monitoring for several months. At the follow-up appointment after about three months, something happened that is not a given in medical care: an emotional reaction. "He paused briefly during the conversation and said that for the first time in a long time, he felt like himself again. That he woke up in the morning with energy and no longer felt like he was constantly working against his own body."

Dr. Czwikla described this moment not as an exception in the sense of a quick success, but as the result of a structured approach: careful diagnosis, realistic expectations, regular monitoring, and the willingness to adjust therapy step by step. Such feedback illustrates that medical treatment can only be effective when it takes place within a clear, comprehensible, and medically supervised process.

Click here to book your doctor's appointment: Doctor's appointment

Progress monitoring and care

Once a therapy has been decided upon, the support doesn't just begin once; it is closely monitored and continuous . A typical course of treatment, when medically indicated, looks like this:

• Initially, close consultations are held to adjust the therapy.

• Regular check-ups to objectively monitor progress

• Later appointments approximately every three months to medically monitor the therapy.
  

“I never felt alone. Every adjustment was explained to me clearly, and I always knew why certain steps made sense. That gave me a lot of security.” Simon, 34

You can find further insights and patient testimonials here.