It’s all about making it easier for people to get the healthcare they need—and at times like these, it’s something people need more than ever.
Developed with the objective of making healthcare accessible to more people, telemedicine is simply defined as being able to consult a doctor remotely. Some have noted how, given this definition, telemedicine has really been around since the advent of the telephone, but today’s use of the term generally encompasses online consultations, particularly via smartphone applications.
Typical uses of telemedicine include asking a doctor for advice and a prescription from home, at work or while working out commonplace ailments such as:
- Acne
- Cold
- Cold sores
- Constipation
- Cough
- Diarrhoea
- Headaches
- Menstrual problems
- Muscular pain
- Rashes
- Sore throat
- Stomachache
Telemedicine may also be used to obtain medical certificates as well as wellness or fitness advice.
It was inevitable for telemedicine to take centre stage after the pandemic stole the public healthcare spotlight. Now that people need to avoid being in large groups, queuing up to see a doctor is one of the last things anyone wants to have to do. This is shown by a surge in the use of telemedicine throughout the region since the pandemic began.
Smart Healthcare for the Smartest City
Officially the world’s smartest city, Singapore is no stranger to telemedicine; indeed, local healthcare industry observers have been saying that telemedicine needed to be more mainstream as early as 2011. Since then, the Ministry of Health (MOH) and the private sector have joined forces and made significant progress in boosting the general acceptance of telemedicine as a reliable and easier way to get medical advice and even actual treatment.
By 2017, Singapore was recognised as a leader in digital healthcare. In the following year, the Licensing Experimentation and Adaptation Programme (LEAP) included telemedicine as one of the innovative services being reviewed by the MOH for further support. Telemedicine providers, including WhiteCoat, MyDoc, Doctor Anywhere, Speedoc, MaNaDr, SATA CommHealth, Doctor World, Parkway Shenton, BetterHealth, HiDoc, and Rescu, have partnered with the MOH for this sandbox initiative.
The sandbox will remain in place until telemedicine has been licensed under the Healthcare Services Act, which has yet to be enacted following the passing of the Healthcare Services Bill by Parliament in January 2020.
In the meantime, in the wake of the Covid-19 outbreak, international healthcare providers such as IHH Healthcare have begun offering their own telemedicine services in Singapore alongside their other regional markets. Outpatient telemedicine claims have also been covered by insurance since Singapore’s insurance industry made its announcement to this effect in May 2020. Telehealth companies such as HeartVoice and Oncoshot have likewise begun to collaborate on ways to improve telemedicine services.
These services have been welcomed by the tech-savvy Singapore public, and not just among the younger generations. Research from Accenture shows that both groups of Gen Z/Millennials/Gen X and Baby Boomers/Silent Generation are highly in favour of video communications with their healthcare providers and using telemonitoring devices for tracking their health indicators.
The same research likewise reveals that many Singaporeans are open to virtual appointments and even examinations for non-urgent conditions, urgent concerns, and annual physicals.
Limits, Loopholes and Liabilities
There are obvious limits to what telemedicine can achieve in terms of providing the high standard of care expected of medical service providers, particularly those in Singapore. As quick and convenient as telemedicine is, there’s ultimately just no substitute for the literal hands-on approach of in-person diagnosis, consultation or treatment. Industry watchdogs say these limits must be highlighted by the doctors and telemedicine providers themselves at the very beginning of every consultation.
Not-so-obvious loopholes which centre around data privacy and legal liability also come with the territory, especially in light of the recent local healthcare data breach, which affected 1.5 million patients. Where data collected from telemedicine is stored and subsequently protected—even in the event of the closure of the telemedicine provider—remains a contested issue.
Potential problems also lie in limitations to identity verification on the side of the patient as well as the doctor, and in the possibility of telemedicine being used to obtain prescription medication dishonestly. Indemnity complications likewise arise when the doctor on the telemedicine app isn’t practising or based in Singapore.
And as advanced as Singapore’s online infrastructure is, telemedicine in the country has yet to take full advantage of 5G technology. 5G will not only enable the processing of the huge amounts of data generated by telemedicine but also do so at high speed, low latency, and lower cost.
Smarter Solutions for the Current Situation
Challenges notwithstanding, the benefits of telemedicine, particularly during the current situation, have made it imperative that steps be taken to make it even more effective as well as efficient.
The Singapore Economic Development Board () reports on how doctors have already been working on ways to use the cloud for monitoring patients at home, and using predictive analytics for identifying disease patterns and developing preventive medicine.
As a world leader in healthcare products and solutions, Philips has also shared ways in which telemedicine might be made more widely available in Singapore, which include considering alternative reimbursement models for doctors providing telemedicine services.
And because each of the many different telemedicine platforms uses its own technology and systems, Philips likewise recommends the standardisation of data collection across providers to make it easier for doctors and hospitals to share data with each other.
Helping to advance the development and use of telemedicine in the country is one of the many aspects of digital healthcare leadership, which in turn is the main focus of the Graduate Certificate in Digital Health at SMU Academy.
Open to professionals with at least two years of working experience in healthcare or a related sector, this certificate programme takes an in-depth look at the impact of technology, data analytics, law and insurance on healthcare in a digital era.
Supported by the Singapore Medical Association, the programme’s modules include Conceptualising Smart Healthcare Solutions, Analytics for Healthcare, Legal Issues & Risk Management, and Managing Partnerships in Digital Health - Insurers & Insurance. Click or tap here to find out how you can take one or more of these modules toward providing better healthcare services through telemedicine and other digital health initiatives, today.
