
18 Sep Telemedicine: Ethics, Privacy, and Other Legal Issues
The COVID-19 pandemic has brought about a resounding number of changes to the way we live our lives today – from social gatherings, to public transportation and of course, healthcare. One of the areas affected by the pandemic is the way physicians provide medical advice and care to their patients. Atty. JJ Disini from Disini Buted Disini Law observed that the practice of telemedicine increased during the pandemic because of the need for doctors to serve their patients despite the constant threat of contracting the virus. As a result, physicians and patients have adopted telehealth technology to facilitate social distancing while allowing access to remote healthcare and medical support.
Defined simply, telemedicine is the practice of medicine at a distance. Two speakers, both attorneys-at-law and licensed physicians, talked about telemedicine and the legal issues arising from this relatively new practice in Telemedicine: Ethics, Privacy and Other Legal Issues, a webinar that aired last 17 September 2020.
Dr. Ivy Patdu, M.D., the former Deputy Commissioner of the National Privacy Commission, noted that privacy is one of the main issues which must be addressed in telemedicine. The data exchanged between a physician and his or her patient contain sensitive information about the patient’s health. Physicians must know how they can properly secure the data of patients.
The next speaker, Dr. Joel Macalino, General Counsel of St. Luke’s Medical Center, talked about the standard of care expected of physicians in telemedicine and discussed the concept of medical negligence. He emphasized that the proper standard of care must be delivered even if a physician receives and sends information through the use of technology.
Moderated by Atty. JJ Disini, Telemedicine: Ethics, Privacy and Other Legal Issues is the latest episode of the webinar series Digital Transformation Thursdays presented by Disini Law in partnership with the Digital Freedom Network (DFN). The recording of this session can be accessed on Facebook through the Disini Law Facebook page. To know more about the upcoming Digital Transformation Thursdays webinars, visit https://dtt.ph/.