Malaysian Doctors Fear Telemedicine May Leave Patients Behind

A Medical Protection Society survey of 395 doctors in Malaysia shows 66% agree telemedicine is beneficial during Covid-19, but 96% are concerned about patient access to remote services.

KUALA LUMPUR, June 30 — The majority of Malaysian doctors (96 per cent) are worried that some vulnerable patient groups may get left behind if consultations are to become predominantly online after the Covid-19 pandemic, according to a survey by the Medical Protection Society (MPS).

In the MPS survey of 395 doctors in Malaysia, 66 per cent agreed that the benefits of telemedicine have been unquestionable during the Covid-19 pandemic, and that it will remain a fundamental tool in practice.

However, 96 per cent raised concerns about patients whose access to remote services may be impacted by factors such as digital literacy, disability, language, location or internet connection.

94 per cent of the doctors surveyed went on to say they are concerned that if some patients feel excluded from telemedicine, this may result in a breakdown in the doctor/patient relationship, or conditions being left untreated.

94 per cent also said they are generally more worried about missing something in a remote consultation, with 87 per cent saying they are more worried about a claim or investigation arising.

86 per cent of the doctors surveyed are also worried about privacy, confidentiality, and security issues with telemedicine.

MPS, the world’s leading protection organisation for health care professionals, supporting over 4,000 health care professionals in Malaysia and almost 300,000 globally, said health care systems need to take a long-term strategic approach when it comes to the role of virtual care beyond the pandemic, taking into account doctors’ concerns, patients’ experiences, and different levels of access.

“Telemedicine is not a new concept and the use of technology in delivering medical services has been slowly evolving over the years,” said Dr Pallavi Bradshaw, Medicolegal Lead, Risk Prevention at MPS.

“Covid-19 has however fast-tracked large-scale adoption, and while the benefits have been indisputable during the pandemic there are naturally concerns around its limitations, the need for support and training due to the different skills required when consulting in this way, and the desired role of virtual care beyond the pandemic.

“A key concern for doctors is the potential for vulnerable patient groups to be left behind and for health inequalities to grow, if there is desire for more patient consultations to be delivered online after Covid-19.

Access to remote services could be impacted by factors such as digital literacy, disability, language, location or internet connection.

“As doctors have highlighted in our survey, if patients feel excluded from telemedicine, this could lead to a breakdown in the doctor/patient relationship or conditions going untreated.

A significant number of doctors are concerned about the potential for medicolegal disputes and investigations to arise from this and other issues relating to telemedicine such as security and confidentiality.

“MPS has been working with doctors to help them adapt to the significant increase in telemedicine and mitigate risks through our risk prevention programmes on the medicolegal, ethical and communication challenges which telemedicine creates.

But addressing the digital inequalities across society requires systemic changes and participation from a range of stakeholders ––this goes beyond the remit of doctors.

“Health care systems need to take a long-term strategic approach when considering the role of virtual care beyond the pandemic. This should be based on the experiences of patients, an ongoing evaluation of the barriers to accessing telemedicine for vulnerable patient groups, and the concerns raised by doctors.

“Doctors must feel supported and should not be left to deal with any unintended repercussions from an increased use of telemedicine.”

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