Insights into Telehealth in the Philippines
By : Jorunnej S. Resma
Because of the COVID quarantine and the reduction in medical services provided by health professionals during this time, telehealth or telemedicine has recently become a very important technology. As a result, telemedicine consultations with patients became an essential practical innovation when out-patient clinic consultations were stopped from March to September. Doctors appeared to be hesitant to engage in telemedicine consultation in the past due to the constraints of diagnosing without a physical examination and physicians' comments about the lack of a payment mechanism following consultation. Better technology, pragmatism, and online payments have all helped to solve these problems.
To better appreciate health technology and its value proposition in the totality of health systems, it is recommended to read the WHO article “Health is Everybody’s Business (2007)” where there are 6 building blocks that require equitable investments to make for a robust health system. And this health system strengthening is fundamental for achieving better health services, efficiency and outcomes, in short, universal health care.
The inter-connectedness of Health Systems Six building blocks. Adapted from Health is Everybody’s Business, WHO 2007.
A key focus should be on redefining health technology to encompass the Information Communication Technology (ICT) used in healthcare, including access to modern diagnostics and medicines. One of the six building blocks is the use of ICT in health care.
The benefits of doing teleconsultation:
- Linkages to ePrescription: Because of the blockade, the Philippine government has now recognized and approved ePrescription and pharmaceutical delivery. With teleconsultation, the clinic doctor has the option to collaborate closely with a pharmacist to meet the patient’s medication needs. Tele-pharmacy consultations, if the law can be altered, can also expand the number of drug outlets in the country, allowing for better access to medicines. The existing regulations still require a certified pharmacist to be physically present in every retail pharmacy shop, and we simply do not have enough pharmacists in the country to grow drugstores and their reach to consumers.
- Easier scheduling and less physical waiting time at the outpatient clinic: Many patients complain about long lines at the front desk. Work-related opportunity costs are high, and this is not an efficient method to deliver health care. Many smartphone apps are being developed across the country to help with scheduling and administering access to health specialists.
- Opportunity for linkages with eHealth records: If ICT in health were to be developed beyond telemedicine consultation, that will be in the area of electronic health records. Imagine having such records in a digital format that are interoperable with other clinics and facilities. The potential efficiencies are immense. Naturally, there needs to be data privacy and safeguards.
- Easier scheduling and less physical waiting time at the outpatient clinic: Many patients complain of extensive wait times in reception. There is significant opportunity loss from work and this is not an efficient way to undertake health services. Many mobile applications are coming up in the country to assist in better scheduling and administering access to health professionals.
- Opportunity for linkages with eHealth records: If ICT in health were to be developed beyond telemedicine consultation, that will be in the area of electronic health records. Imagine having such records in a digital format that are interoperable with other clinics and facilities. The potential efficiencies are immense. Naturally, there needs to be data privacy and safeguards.
- Improvement in referral systems and closing the gap in health services fragmentation: The system can also be used for connecting a specialist doctor to a number of generalist doctors for comprehensive patient care.
- Advancing innovation: Some of the students, for example, are working to develop tele-physical rehabilitation sessions that will lessen or eliminate the need for physically challenged children to visit rehab centers in hospitals. Tele-radiology is becoming increasingly popular, which will benefit rural areas without radiology facilities, in part because there aren’t enough radiologists in the country, and since the law requires that an x-ray facility have an in-house radiologist. Furthermore, because each hospital facility lacks enough radiologists, the reading of the plates is delayed, resulting in a longer wait for patients to receive a proper diagnosis.
- Capacity Building: Telehealth can be a cost-effective way to continue medical, nursing, and pharmacy education. This could also lead to a drop in attendance at in-person medical meetings, which have seen increasing registration costs raise the cost of education.
Limitations to doing teleconsultation as shared by our doctors and patients:
- To pursue an interrupted telemedicine session, patients need have the necessary equipment and a stable IT connection with the doctor. A waiver is required to ensure that patients are aware of the inherent limits of such procedures.
- Payment for professional services rendered has also revealed difficulties. Both doctors and patients have expressed concern about the difficulty of paying doctors. Banks in the Philippines now offer internet platforms, although many residents are still constrained to make payments or deposits in person. This has now become a challenge due to the quarantine and restricted physical movements outside of the house. Processing the evidence of payment is a time-consuming process. Medical physicians’ requirements to declare taxes are also circumvented by such methods.
- Who controls the medical records? While we all agree that patients should own their data, the reality is that health data is held by providers (both doctors and care facilities) in the present health-care system. This creates trust concerns and makes it difficult for the patient to access data when it is needed.
There are various systemic and strategic actions that need to be taken in order for ICT in health and telehealth to be fully understood and prosper in the Philippines. First and foremost, the government must create a common integrated platform (i.e. HL7 for instance). If diverse electronic application suppliers are charged with developing software to capture health databases, this is crucial. Second, mechanisms for data and record interoperability must be established. Third, the cost of hardware, software, and training for healthcare professionals and facilities must be clearly defined. If this is to become the country’s regular operating practice, tremendous time and financial resources will be necessary. Finally, the issue of how telehealth providers are compensated must be addressed.
Our country’s technology has advanced at a rapid pace in recent years, with telemedicine being one of the most notable example. This will certainly help to reduce costs (e.g., travel) while also lowering the risk of COVID-19 transmission among immunocompromised individuals seeking medical care. Congratulations to the author of this blog for providing us with such discussion of telemedicine in our country. I am confident that significant advances in this field will be made in the next years❤️
Very nice presentation
Very informative. Thank you for sharing 💗
Thank you for sharing this! Very informative 😊
Telehealth has a huge impact on how we address our health problems. Thank you for sharing this article.
Telehealth is really useful since the beginning of the pandemic. This blog is very informative, thank you Ms. Resma.
This is very informative. Thanks for sharing this kind of information
A lot has changed since the pandemic started. We are able to explore the other uses of technologies and it really helped us a lot not just in educational purposes but also in medical. We are able to provide a quality services for patients throught e health. It really excites me especially when I hear new innovations that could helped us in so many ways. This blog gives a lot of information, well written and timely. Best regards to the author of this blog. You really did a great job!
Thanks, for such a great post. I found it really helpful. I always prefer to read quality content like this
Wow! What a timely and very relevant information! Thanks! 👍🏻
Wow thank you for this content it helps my perspective more about on telehealth.
thank you for sharing this blog. very informative!
Very informative about the telehealth.
Wow very informative insight on how technology can be applied on medical field.
Awwww 😊😊😊
Thanks for this, super informative blog.
It enhance my knowledge in this particular crisis/ issues that we are all facing right now. As I read I find it systematically accurate and well organized articles indeed🙏🏻💕
I see that our frontline workers are trying their very best to accommodate and give selfless services to the community people amidst the danger of COVID-19 😷
God Bless for this❤️
Padayon Future Frontlinars and Health Practioners 💕😊
Thank you for sharing this information it was indeed verygood
This is quite useful. Thank you for providing this type of information.
This is very informative and telehealth is of great help to everyone. Especially these times of pandemic. Telehealth can help minimize the spread of COVID and of any infectious diseases. Althought, it’s hard to conduct physical examinations to patients. However, this is still helpful in one way or another. 🤗
This is very helpful and interesting!
Thank you for this information. It is really time for our country to accentuate and upgrade the healthcare system and yes, telehealth could really establish a better quality of healthcare services and optimize better patient outcomes.
this is very informative .keep it up!
Very informative and useful for younger generations
Thank you for the knowledge, this is very informative.