97% of Patients and 73% of Doctors with Telemedicine Experience Report Satisfaction

Korea Research Releases Results of Telemedicine Satisfaction and Improvement Survey
Patients: "Want Expansion of Telemedicine Services and Permission for Medication Delivery"
Doctors: "Need to Establish Standards for Liability and Compensation in Medical Accidents"

As the government accelerates the institutionalization of telemedicine, 97% of patients who have used telemedicine services reported satisfaction. Among doctors, 7 out of 10 expressed satisfaction, and more than half of pharmacists also indicated they were satisfied with telemedicine.

The Remote Medical Industry Council (RMIC), which includes telemedicine intermediary platform companies, held a press conference on the 10th and released the results of its "Survey on Satisfaction and Suggestions for Improvement Regarding Telemedicine Policy." The survey was conducted by Korea Research from September 23 to October 22, targeting 1,051 patients with telemedicine experience, 151 doctors with telemedicine experience, and 279 pharmacists with experience in remote prescription dispensing.

According to the survey results, 97.1% of patients who used telemedicine (multiple responses allowed) said they were "satisfied." In particular, they reported high satisfaction in the following areas: ▲time-saving effects (95.7%), ▲improved access to medical care (94.5%), ▲resolution of delays or abandonment of in-person care (93.5%), ▲easy access to hospital and pharmacy information (91.8%), ▲improved access to medications (88.5%), and ▲ease of repeat prescriptions and chronic disease management (85.7%).

Among patients with telemedicine experience, 91.5% said their "quality of life has improved," and 88.0% anticipated that they would "experience inconvenience in daily life" if telemedicine services were discontinued. Additionally, 94.9% of respondents stated they "intend to use a platform for telemedicine in the future."

For doctors and pharmacists, 73.5% of doctors and 56.2% of pharmacists with telemedicine experience reported satisfaction. Both groups positively evaluated ▲improved patient access to medical care (doctors 82.1%, pharmacists 68.5%), ▲improved access to medications (70.9%, 66.3%), and ▲no significant difficulties in communicating with patients (70.2%, 57.7%). Furthermore, 92.7% of these doctors and 82.4% of these pharmacists responded that they would "participate in telemedicine again in the future."

Regarding regulations that allow telemedicine only at hospitals where patients have previous in-person experience, 61.1% of patients and 67.5% of doctors opposed the policy. The main reasons for opposition among patients were: ▲unnecessary increase in in-person visits even for minor illnesses or repeat prescriptions, as initial consultations would be required (69.8%), ▲restriction of the right to choose medical institutions based on evaluation and cost comparison (64.8%), and ▲no anxiety about receiving prescriptions for minor illnesses or repeat medications from a new doctor (64.4%). Doctors cited: ▲no anxiety about prescribing for minor illnesses or repeat medications to new patients (77.5%), ▲worsened access to care for the elderly, office workers, and residents in medically underserved areas (73.5%), and ▲inconvenience in confirming past visits and determining eligibility for telemedicine (67.6%) as reasons for their opposition.

In the process of legislating telemedicine, patients cited the following as the most important policy considerations for the government and National Assembly: ▲allowing telemedicine for all medical departments (39.0%), ▲permitting delivery of medications (37.7%), and ▲prescribing by generic drug name (35.1%). Doctors emphasized ▲establishing standards for liability and compensation in medical accidents (44.4%), ▲adjusting the health insurance reimbursement system for telemedicine to reflect reality (43.0%), and ▲expanding the scope of initial consultations allowed at the doctor’s discretion (34.4%). Pharmacists pointed to ▲prescribing by generic drug name (64.9%), ▲introducing institutional measures to prevent concentration on large pharmacies (47.0%), and ▲building a public telemedicine platform (33.7%) as necessary steps.

Lee Seul, Co-Chair of the RMIC, stated, "Telemedicine is already a reality in healthcare, chosen by the public and implemented in the field. If the government pursues legislation to expand patient choice and access to care, and shifts from a regulation-centered approach to policies focused on innovation and development, the telemedicine service industry will also do its utmost as a responsible private partner to help complete the future healthcare system."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.