[Exclusive] Pediatric 'Medical Crisis' Leads to Surge in Telemedicine... "30% Increase in Consultations and Treatments"

Pediatrics crowded with sick children.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwanju] Kim Hyunhee (pseudonym), a working mother in her 30s, recently received a call from her child's daycare informing her that her child had a runny nose and a slight fever. After work, she tried to take her child to the hospital, but it was common for local clinics to be closed or require waiting times of over an hour even if open. She eventually turned to telemedicine. Kim said, "It's been very difficult to get pediatric care these days, but telemedicine after work allows for nighttime consultations and even medicine delivery, so I was relieved."

As the 'pediatric and adolescent care crisis' becomes a reality, the use of telemedicine platforms for pediatric and adolescent patients is increasing significantly. Working parents who find it difficult to visit hospitals during operating hours or those living in areas without pediatric clinics have chosen telemedicine as an alternative. Given that telemedicine is less constrained by time and location, it is expected to partially fill essential medical service gaps. However, its limitations compared to in-person care are clear, and since it is not a fundamental solution to the pediatric care crisis, there are calls for prompt countermeasures.

"Pediatric and Adolescent Telemedicine Up 31%"

According to industry sources on the 2nd, as the pediatric care crisis escalated?such as some large hospitals restricting emergency and inpatient pediatric care due to a shortage of medical staff?the use of telemedicine surged. On the remote medical platform DoctorNow, the number of real-time free consultations related to pediatric and adolescent diseases reached about 1,500 in December last year, a roughly 40% increase compared to about 1,040 in the previous month. Since July last year, DoctorNow has operated a real-time free consultation service where specialized medical staff respond within 5 minutes to symptom or health-related questions. The increase in related inquiries is attributed to the winter resurgence of COVID-19, simultaneous influenza outbreaks, and difficulties in pediatric care.

Pediatrics and adolescent medicine account for a significant portion of telemedicine. Last year, pediatrics and adolescent medicine made up about 13% of all telemedicine consultations on DoctorNow, ranking fourth after internal medicine, dermatology, and otolaryngology. Narrowing down to female users in their 30s and 40s who are primarily engaged in childcare, the share of pediatric telemedicine rises to 23.7%, the highest among specialties. A DoctorNow representative explained, "In December last year, when the pediatric care crisis began to be an issue, telemedicine consultations in pediatrics increased by 31.7% compared to November. Both consultations and treatments are rapidly increasing."

Review of Using Non-Face-to-Face Medical Consultation.
[Photo by Dr. Now]

The appeal of telemedicine lies in its availability for nighttime consultations and medicine delivery. Major telemedicine platforms such as DoctorNow, OlaCare, and NamanuiDoctor offer nighttime consultations and medicine delivery services, gaining popularity among working parents who return home late. It is also effectively used in rural areas lacking pediatric medical infrastructure. The real-time consultations provided by these platforms are helpful for novice parents. When a child cries or is sick late at night, parents can comfortably ask specialized medical staff about not only potential problems but also minor questions that arise while raising children. In fact, 25% of DoctorNow’s real-time free consultations occur between 8 PM and midnight. One user wrote in a review, "I am raising two children on an island where the only medical facility is a small public health center. To visit a hospital, it takes two hours by boat, so telemedicine allowing me to consult pediatric specialists and get prescriptions has been a great help."

Clear Limits of Telemedicine... Urgent Need to Resolve 'Care Crisis'

While telemedicine partially fills the gap caused by the pediatric care crisis, its limitations are evident. For mild illnesses, treatment can end with prescription delivery, but many emphasize that telemedicine should only serve as a supplementary method to in-person care. It is also only temporarily permitted under the COVID-19 pandemic, raising concerns about its sustainability. With indoor mask mandates lifted and infectious disease alert levels lowered, telemedicine could be discontinued. The government’s strong will to legislate telemedicine and the recent launch of the 'Medical Issues Council' by the Ministry of Health and Welfare and the Korean Medical Association to address major medical issues have drawn attention to the pace of related discussions.

Minister of Health and Welfare Cho Kyu-hong is listening to on-site voices by visiting Seoul National University Children's Hospital after announcing the 'Essential Medical Support Measures' on the 31st of last month.
[Photo by Ministry of Health and Welfare]

Building pediatric and adolescent medical infrastructure is also urgent. Among 226 basic local governments in South Korea, 58 have no pediatric clinics at all. In these areas, children must visit other departments like internal medicine or travel to other municipalities when sick. The shortage of medical personnel is severe; this year, the pediatric residency application rate was only 15.9%. The Ministry of Health and Welfare recently announced an 'Essential Medical Support Plan' that includes expanding specialized pediatric emergency medical centers, increasing nighttime and holiday pediatric clinics (such as Moonlight Children’s Hospitals), and strengthening compensation and infrastructure through the introduction of public policy fees. However, there are criticisms that specific measures for securing personnel and attracting doctors are missing.

The medical community calls for strengthening compensation levels tailored to pediatric care characteristics to attract medical personnel, reforming the referral system by improving tertiary care fees focused on severity, and enhancing residency applications through wage support and auxiliary staff cost subsidies. They also propose transitioning to specialist-centered care to overcome personnel shortages and normalizing fees to restore primary care, shifting to a management and mediation-focused primary care model.