Study on the Use of Telemedicine to Promote Health Equity in APEC Region after COVID-19

APEC Health Working Group March2024 Study on the Use ofTelemedicine to PromoteHealth Equity in APEC Regionafter COVID-19 APECHealth Working Group March2024 Produced by Dr. Chin-Shui Shih ForAsia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Secretariat35 Heng Mui Keng TerraceSingapore 119616Tel: (65) 68919 600Fax: (65) 68919 690Email:info@apec.orgWebsite:www.apec.org ©2024APEC Secretariat APEC#224-HT-01.2 Table of Contents I. Definition of Telemedicine............................................................................................7II. The Role of Telemedicine During the COVID-19 Pandemic.......................................9III. Challenges of telemedicine........................................................................................13IV. Overview of telemedicine use during the COVID-19 pandemic in the APECeconomies........................................................................................................................18 Chapter III.Best Cases of Using Telemedicine to Reduce Urban-rural Disparities...21 I. How Telemedicine Can Reduce Urban-rural Health Disparities.................................21II. Key Factors of Providing Telemedicine Services in Remote Areas...........................23III. Case Analysis: Rural Telemedicine Policies and Practical Experiences of APECEconomies.......................................................................................................................24 Chapter IV.Survey of APEC Economies' Digital Health Policy Landscape..............50 I. Digital health TECHNOLOGIES prioritized by APEC member economies...............50II. Digital health FIELDS prioritized by APEC member economies..............................53III. Overview of Digital Health Policies and Systems in APEC Member Economies....56IV. Comparison of APEC membereconomies' health data guidelines/policies..............58V. Governance mechanisms for digital health among APEC member economies..........64 Chapter V.Conclusions.........................................................................................................67 Annex A：Survey on the Use of Digital Health to Narrow Health Inequity Gaps in APECRegion.........................................................................................................................71 Executive Summary “Study on the Use of Telemedicine to Promote Health Equity in APECRegion after COVID-19”is the second report of the Digital Health Sub-Working Group (DHSWG).In order to further promote the developmentof digital healthagendain Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC)regionand to encourage the development and implementation of digitalhealth related plans in each economy, the APEC Health Working Group(HWG) approved the establishment of the Digital Health Sub-WorkingGroup (DHSWG) in the first HWG meeting in 2020. After twoyears ofefforts, in addition to includingpersonal data protection and private sectorparticipationas the core issuesof the DHSWG, the DHSWGcompiledtheSummary Report of APEC Economies' Digital Policy Measures to CombatCOVID-19 in response to the pandemic.The summary report is one of themostimportant reportsforHWG in 2020andhas been adopted by theHWG and published on the APEC website in March 2022. During the COVID-19,economies have been utilizing digital healthtechnologies to cope with the crisis, and thesepracticeshave continued tobe integrated into the“New normal”.Economies have also recognized thewidespread application of telemedicine, such as using it to providehealthcareservices to rural areas or those who cannot access medicaltreatments, thereby reducing the healthcaredisparitiesand embracing thenew way of living. Therefore, this study aims to collect and analyze practical experiencesand policies from international organizations and economies, conductsurveys among economies, andreviewthe resultofAPECDigitalHealthPolicyDialogue. Through these methods,it is expected tointroduceandanalyze the practical experiences of economies in using telemedicine toaddress health inequalities. This study consists of five chapters, which are(1)Foreword;(2)Overview of telemedicineuseduring the COVID-19 pandemic in theAPEC economies;(3)Bestpracticesof using telemedicine to reduceurban-rural disparities;(4)ResultsofAPEC Digital Health Policy Surveyamong economies;and(5)Conclusion. Furthermore, we would like to express our gratitude to all membersof the DHSWG (Korea;Peru;the Philippines;Chinese Taipei;Thailand;United States;VietNam) and all participating economies who contributedto this report, including the 12 economies (Australia;Canada;Chile;Japan;Malaysia;Korea;the Philippines;Russia;Singapore;Chinese Taipei;Thailand;United States) that responded to the survey questionnaire and theeconomies (Japan;Malaysia;the Philippines;Singapore;Thailand;UnitedStates;VietNam) that participated in the APEC Digital Health PolicyDialogue titled "Narrowing Health Inequity Gaps through Telemedicine inAdapting to the New Normal" h