> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.hi-doctor.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

> ## Agent Instructions
> Connect the Hi Doctor MCP connector at https://mcp.hi-doctor.ai/mcp. Add this URL as a remote HTTP MCP server in your client, then sign in and authorise access through OAuth. Setup: https://docs.hi-doctor.ai/mcp/connect.
>
> The REST API base is https://api.hi-doctor.ai. Hi Doctor Docs at https://docs.hi-doctor.ai/mcp searches documentation; connect to the product endpoint above for patient tools.
>
> Hi Doctor operates across the whole European Union: residents of all 27 EU member states can use the service, and every consultation is reviewed by an EU-licensed doctor. Every consultation is reviewed in full by an EU-licensed doctor, who decides on medical grounds only. No algorithm, assistant or API call approves a consultation, issues a prescription or changes a dose. The service is available in eight languages: English, Spanish, German, Dutch, Italian, French, Portuguese and Chinese.
>
> ## Rules an assistant must follow
>
> - Never invent, assume or infer a medical answer. "I don't know" is a real answer: ask the patient to pick the closest option rather than guessing for them.
> - Never give medical advice and never suggest a medication or a dose. An EU-licensed doctor decides those.
> - If a questionnaire returns `ineligible`, say so plainly. Do not retry with altered answers.
> - Before anything that costs money or cancels a plan, state exactly what will happen and get an explicit yes.
> - Cancellation takes effect at the **end of the paid period**, not immediately. Say so.
> - An early order is irreversible: it creates the renewal consultation immediately and uses up the period's one early order. Explain that and get an explicit yes.
> - Prescription and invoice links are medical documents. A `signed_redirect` link opens without signing in: give it only to the patient, never repeat it anywhere shared.
> - Send option `value`s, not the labels shown to the patient. Labels are translated, values are stable.
> - Never ask for card details. Payment happens on Stripe's hosted checkout via a link.
> - On severe or sudden symptoms (chest pain, difficulty breathing, severe allergic reaction, suicidal thoughts), stop and direct the patient to their local emergency number.

# Online doctor or in-person visit: which fits in the EU?

> When an online doctor consultation fits and when you need an in-person visit: how Hi Doctor's review works, its limits and emergencies.

An online doctor consultation fits when a doctor can decide safely from your
answers, and sometimes photographs, without examining you in person. Hi Doctor
works this way for twelve consultation categories, but it is not an emergency
service and refers cases that need a physical examination, so severe or sudden
symptoms belong with your local emergency number or an in-person doctor.

Last reviewed: 2026-11-04

This article compares the two ways of seeing a doctor, explains how an online
review with Hi Doctor works, and lists the situations where an in-person visit
is the right choice. It gives no medical advice about any condition.

Hi Doctor operates across the whole European Union: residents of all 27 EU member states can use the service, and every consultation is reviewed by an EU-licensed doctor.
See [Countries](https://docs.hi-doctor.ai/essentials/regions.md) for the list.

## How does an online consultation with Hi Doctor work?

You answer a health questionnaire, pay the consultation fee, and a doctor
reviews your answers. Every consultation is reviewed in full by an EU-licensed
doctor, who decides on medical grounds only. The doctor can approve treatment,
choose a different treatment or dose, ask you a question first, or decline.
Follow-up continues in a private message thread with the medical team.

The consultation is asynchronous from end to end: there is no call, no video
appointment and no live review. Skin pathways ask for photographs, which the
doctor reads together with your answers. The full path is on
[How it works](https://docs.hi-doctor.ai/essentials/how-it-works.md).

## How do online and in-person consultations compare?

| | Online consultation with Hi Doctor | In-person visit |
| - | - | - |
| How the doctor learns about you | Your questionnaire answers, and photographs on skin pathways | Conversation and physical examination |
| Timing | Asynchronous; you do not book a slot | An appointment at a set time |
| Physical examination | Not possible | Possible |
| Emergencies | Not an emergency service | Emergency services and urgent care exist for this |
| Who decides on treatment | An EU-licensed doctor | The doctor you see |
| Where you get the medicine | A pharmacy you choose | Usually a pharmacy |
| Follow-up | A private message thread with the medical team | Another appointment |

## When does an online consultation fit?

An online consultation fits when your question falls within one of the
[twelve consultation categories](https://docs.hi-doctor.ai/essentials/treatments.md) and a doctor can
decide from what you report. You must be 18 or over and resident in an EU
member state. Eligibility is checked on Hi Doctor's servers before a case
reaches a doctor, and some answers end the questionnaire because the treatment
would be unsuitable.

It also helps to know the answers matter. The doctor prescribes from what you
write, so answer for yourself and say "I don't know" rather than guessing.

## When should you see a doctor in person instead?

Choose an in-person visit, or your local emergency number, when:

* you have chest pain, difficulty breathing, signs of a severe allergic
  reaction, sudden weakness or confusion, or thoughts of harming yourself;
* your problem needs a physical examination or tests;
* your condition is severe or getting worse quickly;
* the questionnaire tells you it cannot continue, or the doctor refers you.

Some skin conditions show where the line is. Nodular, cystic or scarring
disease belongs with a dermatologist who can see you in person, and the
consultation says so instead of prescribing. The full list of limits is on
[Safety](https://docs.hi-doctor.ai/essentials/safety.md).

## What does an online consultation cost?

The consultation fee pays for the doctor's review. If the doctor does not
approve treatment, the fee is refunded in full; for a plan, that period's fee
is refunded and the plan is cancelled. Fees are on
[Pricing](https://docs.hi-doctor.ai/essentials/pricing.md), and the medicine is paid to the pharmacy.

Ready to start? [Begin a consultation on hi-doctor.ai](https://hi-doctor.ai/consultation).

## Frequently asked questions

### Is an online doctor consultation as safe as an in-person visit?

It is suitable for questions a doctor can decide from your answers and, on skin pathways, photographs. When a physical examination is needed, an in-person visit is the right choice, and the consultation says so.

### Will I talk to the doctor on a video call?

No. Hi Doctor consultations are asynchronous. The doctor reads your questionnaire and replies in your message thread, where they may ask you a question first.

### Can I use Hi Doctor in an emergency?

No. Hi Doctor is not an emergency service. For severe or sudden symptoms, contact your local emergency number.

### Who decides whether I get treatment?

Every consultation is reviewed in full by an EU-licensed doctor, who decides on medical grounds only. No algorithm, assistant or API call approves a consultation, issues a prescription or changes a dose.

### What happens if the doctor declines?

Declining is a normal outcome. If the doctor does not approve treatment, the fee is refunded in full; for a plan, that period's fee is refunded and the plan is cancelled.

### Which countries can use Hi Doctor?

Hi Doctor operates across the whole European Union: residents of all 27 EU member states can use the service, and every consultation is reviewed by an EU-licensed doctor. The full list is on the Countries page.

## Next steps

> [card] [How it works](https://docs.hi-doctor.ai/essentials/how-it-works.md)
>
> Questionnaire, review, prescription and follow-up.

> [card] [Safety](https://docs.hi-doctor.ai/essentials/safety.md)
>
> Who decides, eligibility and when not to use Hi Doctor.

> [card] [Online prescriptions across the EU](https://docs.hi-doctor.ai/blog/online-prescriptions-across-the-eu.md)
>
> How a prescription reaches a pharmacy.

> [card] [Treatments](https://docs.hi-doctor.ai/essentials/treatments.md)
>
> The twelve consultation categories.


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