The Telemedicine Demand Index and its Utility in Managing COVID-19 Case Surges.

Telemedicine was an integral component in Singapore's COVID-19 management strategy, having been deployed at a national level in a centrally-administered program whereby patients at higher risk of developing severe COVID-19 disease were proactively assigned tele-consultations, whereas those at lower risk and seen by primary care physicians could request tele-consultations. To better plan for fluctuations in telemedicine demand during the pandemic, the Telemedicine Demand Index (TDI) was developed. Three main factors influencing telemedicine demand were considered-characteristics of the Variant of Concern, prevailing health care policies, and the population's healthcare-seeking behaviour-from which 11 coefficients were derived for the TDI formula.

Genesis, evolution and effectiveness of Singapore's national sorting logic and home recovery policies in handling the COVID-19 Delta and Omicron waves.

Singapore developed several novel strategies to transition towards "living with COVID-19", while protecting hospital capacity. The Home Recovery Programme (HRP) was a national, centrally-administered programme that leveraged technology and telemedicine to allow low-risk individuals to safely recover at home. The HRP was subsequently expanded by partnering primary care doctors in caring for more cases in the community.

Enhanced Monitoring System to Better Monitor High-Risk COVID-19 Patients.

Telemedicine (TM) is a useful tool to extend medical care during a pandemic. TM was extensively utilized in Singapore during the COVID-19 pandemic as part of the Nation's COVID-19 healthcare strategy. Patients were risk stratified to prioritize limited healthcare resources and the Telemedicine Allocation Reconciliation System (TMARS) was adapted to monitor and manage limited TM resources.