How does Telemedicine Work in Singapore?

Telemedicine: Tapping into existing solutions for emerging problems

With growing innovation in digital communication and medical technologies, remote healthcare or telemedicine is gaining popularity. Telehealth services can make healthcare services more accessible to people who are homebound or live in remote areas.

Our article takes a deep dive into the subject of telehealth and covers basics like what it is, how it works, and what the future of telemedicine holds.

What is Telemedicine?

Telemedicine is defined by the World Health Organisation as the “delivery of health care services, where patients and providers are separated by distance”¹. It involves the use of telecommunications and virtual technology to deliver health care outside of traditional health care facilities², such as mobile apps or video chat.

There are 3 different modes of telemedicine³ that encompass its many aspects. They are as follow:

1. Clinician to clinician: More common in radiology, where healthcare professionals can share analysis and radiological images via email
2. Clinician to patient: Where patients can seek diagnosis and medication for common illnesses via the internet, use of an app, a phone call or a video chat.
3. Patient to mobile health technology: Patients can track their own health, vitals, diet and physical activity via use of apps on their smartphones or even wearable monitors like a Fitbit. The information can also be transmitted to clinics and clinicians for further health monitoring.

In this article, we will be focusing on the second - clinician to patient telemedicine.

How Does Telemedicine Work?

Simply put, telemedicine allows the patient to seek medical treatment via the use of the internet or mobile smartphone apps, instead of having to physically travel to the clinic. The patient interacts with the doctor in real time via a voice or video chat, much like a physical consultation. This can be extremely useful and efficient, as it allows for the easy exchange of information.

In this sense, telemedicine consultations enable physicians to understand and diagnose the patient’s condition as they might in person, while the patient is free to clarify any queries or worries they might have. After the consultation, prescriptions can be delivered to a nearby pharmacy for collection, or even directly to the patient’s doorstep. This ensures that the patient receives exactly the amount of medication they require to avoidover-prescription. Likewise, any medical certificates or specialist referral memos are also sent electronically to the patient.

With these benefits in mind, it is undeniable that telemedicine does have certain advantages over physical consultations. Teleconsultations tend to be more time-saving than physical ones. In fact, the Cigna Virtual Clinic’s average waiting time is less than 5 minutes, as compared to the longer waiting times at clinics. Teleconsultations also allow the patient to see the doctor in the comfort of their own home. This affords them more time to rest and recuperate, while not having to go through the ordeal of travelling to seek medical help.

For other longer-term conditions that require regular check-ups, the patient can conveniently submit their medical data through an app or via the internet. This information is then stored in a secure database before being transmitted to the physician for analysis in their own time. After which, the physician will respond to the patient via the same platform for greater ease and accessibility.

Why is Telemedicine Important?

Telemedicine allows doctors to see patients more efficiently, especially for non-urgent cases. Other issues like physical check-ups can be also set aside to prioritise more time to urgent cases, as the data uploaded from the patient is stored and can be accessed any time after. All this allows healthcare professionals to be able to better manage their time and resources to deal with more pressing cases.

Telemedicine allows patients to remotely access healthcare services without having to leave their house. This makes it much medical care much more accessible to patients who may have mobility issues or require help to get to a clinic.

How does a Telehealth Service Differ from an In-Person Consultation?

The primary difference between remote and in-person consultations is just that - the distance. Telemedicine isn't necessarily a substitute for a visit to your doctor. However, depending on the patient's needs telemedicine may offer certain advantages over physical consultations. Teleconsultations tend to be more time-saving than physical ones. In fact, the Cigna Virtual Clinic’s average waiting time is less than 5 minutes, as compared to the longer waiting times at clinics. Teleconsultations also allow the patient to see the doctor in the comfort of their own home. This affords them more time to rest and recuperate, while not having to go through the ordeal of travelling to seek medical help.

For other longer-term conditions that require regular check-ups, the patient can conveniently submit their medical data through an app or via the internet. This information is then stored in a secure database before being transmitted to the physician for analysis in their own time. After which, the physician will respond to the patient via the same platform for greater ease and accessibility.

What are Some Challenges Facing Telemedicine?

Despite its benefits, telemedicine solutions still face some significant obstacles in terms of uptake. For patients, telemedicine is much more widely adopted by millennials and the subsequent generations, though this is less so for older generations and the less educated⁴. That said, adoption has steadily increased since 2020. A 2024 Bain and Company survey revealed that 43% of Singaporean respondents had used telemedicine services at least once in the past 12 months compared to just 16% in 20195. Better telemedicine education in Singapore may help achieve more widespread acceptance in the years to come.

Can you trust telehealth?

One of the biggest contributing factors for the lack of telehealth adoption is perhaps the scepticism of online diagnoses. The concern that teleconsultations may not be able to accurately diagnose conditions is an understandable one. After all, the utilisation of such technology means that we are no longer able to rely on the full physical examinations that we are used to with physical clinic visits.

However, it is important to note that telemedicine is not meant to fully replace the latter. The doctors on these platforms are trained and well-aware of the limitations of technology. Nonetheless, they are still able to make credible diagnoses via teleconsultations with the patients’ description of signs and symptoms, along with access to patient medical history. Technology can further inform the doctors’ examination in some cases, as phone cameras allow them to examine surface conditions, such as wounds, swelling, and skin appearance. When it comes to cases that require more thorough checks such as respiratory and/or abdominal examinations, the patient will be directed to a physical clinic instead to ensure that they get the care that they need.

What is the future of Telehealth?

Since the concept of telemedicine was first introduced, there have been many more technological advances and improvements in the way these services are administered. Wearable health and medical tech, AI innovation and immersive virtual reality settings are all key trends driving the telemedicine and telehealth industries. As technology and (medical tech in particular) continues to evolve, we'll see even greater improvements in telemedicine.

Greater government support and education can help patients make more informed decisions when it comes to their healthcare choices, and even encourage greater telemedicine acceptance in the long run.

Here at Cigna, our telemedicine partner, Doctor Anywhere, has noted that more users and doctors have signed up to use the platform. Along with Doctor Anywhere also having raised S$38.4 million in hopes of a regional expansion, the future of telemedicine certainly seems bright as of right now¹⁰.

How Can Cigna Virtual Clinic (CVC) Telemedicine Help?

Our telemedicine solution is the Cigna Virtual Clinic (CVC), partnered with Doctor Anywhere. It is a platform that utilises technology to deliver quality medical care wherever and whenever it is needed. On its app, users can video consult a licensed practicing doctor for non-urgent conditions within mere minutes, and get the necessary medications delivered to their doorsteps. The following are its 6 core pillars:

• Video consult a locally licensed practicing doctor, who will be able to diagnose and treat common illnesses, prescribe medications, and issue medical certificates or referral letters
• Medication delivery for common, non-urgent conditions, which will be packaged and safely delivered to your doorstep within 3 hours
• Medical documents issued by the doctors, including receipts, consultation history notes, and health screening reports, are easily accessible in-App, anytime
• Travel health allows you to get relevant travel health advice and medication before your trips, as well as video consult doctors for medical advice when you are overseas
• Chronic disease management is a comprehensive programme that includes video consultations, follow-ups and medical delivery so that you can manage your condition without having to make multiple trips to the clinic
• Health content hub provides reliable health tips, insights and articles, to help you improve your health amidst the hustle and bustle of modern-day life
• With these services, the CVC can ensure that quality healthcare for non-urgent conditions is not compromised, while also helping to offload some of the burden from our currently overloaded healthcare sector. Cigna’s telemedicine solution is therefore able to provide a more convenient, efficient, and cashless healthcare experience.

Sources:
1. World Health Organisation. (2020). Telemedicine - Global Health Observatory (GHO) data.
2. World Health Organisation. (2020). Telemedicine - Health and sustainable development.
3. Tuckson, R., Edmunds, M., & Hodgkins, M. (2017). Telemedicine. New England Journal Of Medicine, 377(16), 1585-1592. doi: 10.1056/nejmsr1503323
4. Cigna Global Wellbeing Solutions. (2019). Telemedicine: The clinical perspective on the role of Telemedicine within modern healthcare delivery.
5. Bain.com. (2024). Asia-Pacific Front Line of Healthcare 2024.