Healthcare

Telemedicine before, during and after COVID-19: Key Considerations and Issues

The acceleration in the use of telemedicine is expected to be one of the lasting changes to lifestyles as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. As defined by the Ministry of Health (Singapore), telemedicine refers to the provision of healthcare services over physically separate environments via information technology, and it includes the exchange of information for clinical purposes between healthcare providers and patients through text messaging, web or mobile applications. In this Update, we discuss the regulatory framework in respect of telemedicine in Singapore and highlight some issues that healthcare providers, employers and patients should note in the implementation of telemedicine.