WHO Issues Consolidated Guide to Running Effective Telemedicine Services

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has released a ‘Consolidated Telemedicine Implementation Guide’ to ensure a more sustainable use of telemedicine post the COVID-19 pandemic and other global healthcare challenges. The aim is to help ‘guide policy-makers, decision makers, and implementers in designing and overseeing telemedicine implementations.’

This new guide is meant to supplement WHO Digital Investment Implementation Guide which is a systematic guide to plan and implement digital health interventions.

As per WHO, the guide ‘outlines practical steps countries can take through a process of planning, implementing, maintaining, and budgeting a telemedicine programme to deliver equitable health outcomes.’

Speaking about the impact of telemedicine, Prof Alain Labrique, Director, Department of Digital Health and Innovation said, “For telemedicine to have the most impact when and where it is needed, the enabling environment is critical. Investments in national policies, governance, and standards are important to have in place. This Guide is not a stand-alone solution, but rather a complementary tool that works in tandem with user-centered solutions that are accessible by all, towards delivering high-quality remote care that is accountable and suitable to the context in which patients live." 

Digital health and telemedicine has also gained particular traction to accessing sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services in recent years.