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By Prof Bejon Kumar Misra
When the COVID-19 pandemic tightened its grip on the nation, going out for something, together with any exigencies, appeared like a frightening process. Hospitals have been overflowing with sufferers, hospitals beds not accessible and docs have been struggling to take care of the sudden deluge. At that time, telemedicine appeared like a godsend as sufferers have been capable of seek the advice of a registered medical practitioner (RMP) with out taking any undue dangers. It was making certain affected person security, high quality of care and likewise security of the RMPs.
By June 2021, the federal government’s telemedicine platform, eSanjeevani, had supplied over 60 lakh consultations, with over 1,600 docs aiding over 40,000 sufferers a day. This exhibits that the idea of distant remedy gained traction as sufferers and docs tailored to the brand new regular.
Whereas telemedicine continues to flourish, many have forged aspersions about it and are setting guardrails that go in opposition to the whole premise of healthcare being affected person centric. In a realm the place security and efficacy are paramount, we have to discover options by which high quality healthcare is assured and high quality requirements are comprised with sufferers on the heart of all of it.
Critiques and Scores integral to make sure affected person security
Telemedicine platforms make sure that the credentials of each physician, together with their space of experience, years of expertise, and medical background are transparently shared in a reputable method, empowering sufferers to make an knowledgeable selection primarily based on sound course of and data. Equally, affected person evaluations and suggestions have develop into integral to healthcare decision-making as sufferers search the collective knowledge of their friends to make knowledgeable selections about their well being.
Critiques and score not solely helps sufferers, it additionally helps docs achieve real-time insights into affected person perceptions, enabling them to refine their practices and improve affected person experiences. Whereas moderation is crucial to keep up the integrity of the evaluations, the shortage of it poses the chance of making an opaque healthcare system that lacks transparency, accountability and is devoid of affected person centric healthcare supply system.
When RMPs share info on public platforms it’s largely within the curiosity of the affected person, and knowledgeable resolution making ought to be the guideline for any service supplied to shoppers, with healthcare being no exception. The extra info shoppers have, permits them to make higher selections about their well being and this benchmark ought to be relevant throughout the healthcare spectrum proper from bodily to digital.
Safety of shoppers
Moreover, the Shopper Safety Act, 2019 rightly recognises sufferers as shoppers, affording them the fitting to learn about their healthcare selections. This laws underscores the significance of disclosure and transparency that features suggestions, enabling sufferers to make knowledgeable selections aligned with their finest pursuits. It additionally covers a full chapter on product legal responsibility, which make it crucial to guarantee high quality, security and efficacy.
In occasions of emergencies, telemedicine offers a lifeline, providing fast medical recommendation particularly when in-person visits should not simply accessible. The recognition of telemedicine amongst sufferers shouldn’t be a passing pattern; it is a seismic shift in how we method healthcare. The federal government’s personal initiatives just like the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM) and eSanjeevani is a testomony to its dedication to embrace know-how to supply entry to high quality healthcare to enhance sufferers’ lives with out undermining Affected person Security. On the event of World Affected person Security Day 2023 on seventeenth September 2023, it was agreed globally on the theme ‘Participating Sufferers for Affected person Security’. With comfort, accessibility, cost-effectiveness, and improved healthcare outcomes on its facet, telemedicine is a healthcare revolution that is right here to remain. And as we stride ahead, let’s do not forget that true progress is just achieved when the affected person’s voice is heard and revered.
Prof Bejon Kumar Misra, Founder Director, Affected person Security and Entry Initiative of India Basis
(DISCLAIMER: The views expressed are solely of the creator and ETHealthworld.com doesn’t essentially subscribe to it. ETHealthworld.com shall not be liable for any harm triggered to any particular person/organisation straight or not directly).
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