Taiwan should learn from other countries to advance telehealth services in the post-COVID-19 pandemic era, Minister of Health and Welfare Chiu Tai-yuan (邱泰源) said yesterday.
Chiu made the remark at a Taipei conference titled the “Current Challenges and Opportunities in Telehealth,” held by the National Health Research Institutes (NHRI) Forum, Taipei Medical University and National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University.
In his opening speech, Chiu discussed the concept of “social prescribing,” encouraging healthcare providers view patients through a professional medical lens and refer them to a range of person-centered non-clinical care services to support their health and well-being.
Photo: CNA
Since becoming the director of a public health center in 1988, Chiu said he began overseeing the operations of telehealth and hospice care.
His experience working with people in hospice care showed him the importance of person-centered care and that patients are connected to the community, he said.
Person-centered care services and telemedicine have played important roles during the COVID-19 pandemic around the world, and in the post-pandemic era, many countries are pushing to advance telehealth services, Chiu said.
While different countries have different opinions on quality, regulations, ethics and privacy regarding telehealth services, it has become a common challenge for many healthcare systems around the world, he said.
Taiwan should continue to learn from and communicate with other countries to advances its telehealth services, he said.
In the post-COVID-19 era, telemedicine still faces challenges, including healthcare quality monitoring, patient privacy safety, regulations and regulatory reviews, but after some experience, the scope of telemedicine was expanded in July, NHRI Forum vice chairman Wayne Sheu (許惠恒) said.
Taipei Medical University Board of Trustees chairman Chen Ray-jade (陳瑞杰) said telemedicine did not disappear after COVID-19 ended, but transformed into telehealth, and is shifting its focus from acute care to chronic care services.
The focus of telehealth is on individuals or families, so if there is a comprehensive telehealth system, people can still receive healthcare at home when a disaster or pandemic occurs, which is an embodiment of a “resilient health system,” Chen said.
However, telemedicine in the post-COVID-19 era faces four main challenges: regulations, payment systems, technology and personal information security, he said.
The conference was held for people from the private and government sectors, academics and healthcare providers to discuss solutions, he said.
Telehealth can also be extended beyond medical treatment, to health education, holistic healthcare and weight management, or even allow people to participate in clinical trials at home, he added.
Additional reporting by CNA
Three Taiwanese airlines have prohibited passengers from packing Bluetooth earbuds and their charger cases in checked luggage. EVA Air and Uni Air said that Bluetooth earbuds and charger cases are categorized as portable electronic devices, which should be switched off if they are placed in checked luggage based on international aviation safety regulations. They must not be in standby or sleep mode. However, as charging would continue when earbuds are placed in the charger cases, which would contravene international aviation regulations, their cases must be carried as hand luggage, they said. Tigerair Taiwan said that earbud charger cases are equipped
Foreign travelers entering Taiwan on a short layover via Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport are receiving NT$600 gift vouchers from yesterday, the Tourism Administration said, adding that it hopes the incentive would boost tourism consumption at the airport. The program, which allows travelers holding non-Taiwan passports who enter the country during a layover of up to 24 hours to claim a voucher, aims to promote attractions at the airport, the agency said in a statement on Friday. To participate, travelers must sign up on the campaign Web site, the agency said. They can then present their passport and boarding pass for their connecting international
Temperatures in northern Taiwan are forecast to reach as high as 30°C today, as an ongoing northeasterly seasonal wind system weakens, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. CWA forecaster Tseng Chao-cheng (曾昭誠) said yesterday that with the seasonal wind system weakening, warmer easterly winds would boost the temperature today. Daytime temperatures in northern Taiwan and Yilan County are expected to range from 28°C to 30°C today, up about 3°C from yesterday, Tseng said. According to the CWA, temperature highs in central and southern Taiwan could stay stable. However, the weather is expected to turn cooler starting tonight as the northeasterly wind system strengthens again
Taiwan sweltered through its hottest October on record, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday, the latest in a string of global temperature records. The main island endured its highest average temperature since 1950, CWA forecaster Liu Pei-teng said. Temperatures the world over have soared in recent years as human-induced climate change contributes to ever more erratic weather patterns. Taiwan’s average temperature was 27.381°C as of Thursday, Liu said. Liu said the average could slip 0.1°C by the end of yesterday, but it would still be higher than the previous record of 27.009°C in 2016. "The temperature only started lowering around Oct. 18 or 19
RSS