Services and Diagnoses that Can Be Made through Telemedicine
Ministry of HealthSpeakers
Summary
This question concerns Ms Joan Pereira’s inquiry on whether a multi-disciplinary panel will be formed to review telemedicine services and diagnoses to mitigate the risk of wrongful diagnosis. Minister for Health Mr Gan Kim Yong responded that practitioners must maintain the same standards of care as in-person consultations and conduct physical assessments when warranted. He highlighted the Ministry of Health's regulatory sandbox framework, which was established to develop innovative telemedicine models while safeguarding patient safety and welfare. A review committee comprising medical specialists, family physicians, and ethics experts has been appointed to refresh the 2015 National Telemedicine Advisory Committee guidelines. These revised guidelines are scheduled for release in 2020 to further inform the Ministry on how to effectively regulate telemedicine services in Singapore.
Transcript
68 Ms Joan Pereira asked the Minister for Health whether the Ministry will form a multi-disciplinary panel of experienced doctors to look into the types of services and diagnoses that can be made through telemedicine in Singapore, given the concerns over the risk of wrongful diagnosis.
Mr Gan Kim Yong: Telemedicine can potentially make access to healthcare services more convenient for Singaporeans. It is an evolving field.
In 2015, MOH's National Telemedicine Advisory Committee developed a set of telemedicine guidelines. These guidelines serve to guide healthcare providers in Singapore on the provision of safe and appropriate delivery of care via telemedicine. Overall, doctors providing telemedicine are expected to maintain the same standards of care as with in-person clinical consults. They should see their patients in-person when a physical assessment is warranted or refer them appropriately.
Last year, MOH also set up a regulatory sandbox framework to facilitate the development of new and innovative telemedicine care models while ensuring patient safety and welfare. This arrangement enables telemedicine providers to work with the Ministry to better understand the challenges associated with the delivery of telemedicine.
With the experience garnered through the sandbox, the telemedicine guidelines are being refreshed. MOH, in consultation with various professional bodies, has appointed a review committee comprising of experienced family physicians and medical specialists from both public and private healthcare sectors, experts in medical informatics and medical ethics, as well as representatives from various governmental organisations.
The revised guidelines will be released in 2020. Together, the refreshed guidelines and regulatory sandbox will help inform MOH on how best to regulate telemedicine.