The Indian Medical Association (IMA) is a national professional organization of the Indian Medical Society. It was established in 1928 and is headquartered in New Delhi. The IMA represents the interests of Indian medical practitioners and aims to promote the science and art of medicine and improve the health and well-being of the Indian population. It has over 3,00,000 members across the country and is actively involved in various activities related to medical education, research, healthcare policy, and advocacy.

It has been actively involved in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic in India, guiding its members on how to manage patients with COVID-19, advocating for the availability of medical equipment and supplies, and raising awareness about the importance of vaccination and other preventive measures.

The IMA has been actively involved in promoting the use of telemedicine in India, especially in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The IMA has recognized the potential of telemedicine to improve access to healthcare for people living in remote and underserved areas of India. In March 2020, the IMA released a set of guidelines for telemedicine practice in India, which were subsequently adopted by the Indian government as part of its response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

What is telemedicine?

Telemedicine refers to the use of electronic communication technologies to provide healthcare services remotely. This can include video consultations, remote monitoring, and other forms of digital communication between doctors and patients.

IMA’s guidelines emphasize the importance of ensuring patient privacy and confidentiality in telemedicine consultations, as well as the need for doctors to obtain informed consent from patients before conducting consultations remotely. The guidelines also recommend that telemedicine consultations should only be used in cases where the doctor deems it appropriate and effective for the patient’s needs.

Overall, the IMA’s support for telemedicine in India reflects a growing recognition among healthcare professionals and policymakers of the potential benefits of digital healthcare technologies for improving healthcare access and outcomes in the country.

A closer look into the guidelines:

The guidelines are directed to be abided by those technology platforms which work across a network of Registered medical practitioners and enable patients to consult with RMPs through the platform.

1. Technology platforms (mobile apps, websites, etc.) providing telemedicine services to consumers shall be obligated to ensure that the consumers are consulting with Registered medical practitioners duly registered with national medical councils or respective state medical councils and comply with relevant provisions

DocMantra partners with doctors who are RMPs from recognized medical councils. The legitimacy of their practice is checked before they are registered on the platform to be reached out to by patients.

2. Technology Platforms shall conduct their due diligence before listing any RMP on their online portal. The platform must provide the name, qualification, registration number, and contact details of every RMP listed on the platform. As an enterprise, DocMantra ensures transparency for their end customers to choose from the doctors of their requirements. While booking an appointment, one can choose their doctor and set an appointment easily according to the slots available.

3. In the event some non-compliance is noted, the technology platform shall be required to report the same to BoG (Board of Governors), in supersession to MCI who may take appropriate action

4. Technology platforms based on Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning are not allowed to counsel the patients or prescribe any medicines to a patient. Only an RMP is entitled to counsel or prescribe and has to directly communicate with the patient in this regard. While new technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, the Internet of Things, advanced data science-based decision support systems, etc. could assist and support an RMP on patient evaluation, diagnosis, or management, the final prescription or counseling has to be directly delivered by the RMP. Along with this, the RMPs can issue Electronic Medical records or Electronic Health Records that document their consultations through a special speech-to-text feature which helps form e-assessments for future studies, references, and records.

5. Technology Platform must ensure that there is a proper mechanism in place to address any queries or grievances that the end customer may have. DocMantra’s customer service team is available 24×7 to help customers in times of confusion or adversity.

6. In case any specific technology platform is found in violation, BoG, MCI may designate the technology platform as blacklisted, and no RMP may then use that platform to provide telemedicine

As per IMA’s guidelines, DocMantra emphasizes the importance of ensuring patient privacy and confidentiality in telemedicine consultations, as well as the need for doctors to obtain informed consent from patients before conducting consultations remotely. The platform of DocMantra has ready-to-use templates of consent forms which can be used by medical practitioners.

The guidelines also recommend that telemedicine consultations should only be used in cases where the doctor deems it appropriate and effective for the patient’s needs.

Overall, the IMA’s support for telemedicine in India reflects a growing recognition among healthcare professionals and policymakers of the potential benefits of digital healthcare technologies for improving healthcare access and outcomes in the country. On that note, the advantages of DocMantra add to the cause of tending to the growing need for technology in the field of Hospital Management Software. Its robust, ergonomic features are here to make communication and healthcare delivery much easier.

If your knowledge grew through the information in our blog, share it! and follow www.docmantra.com for more such informative pieces which help you make the best choice for your healthcare practice!

Reference Article: https://www.mohfw.gov.in/pdf/Telemedicine.pdf