EMERGING LEGAL AND ETHICAL CHALLENGES IN TELEMEDICINE, EMERGENCY MEDICAL PRACTICE, AND PROFESSIONAL LIABILITY
AUTHOR – YAZHINI, LLM STUDENT AT SCHOOL OF EXCELLENCE IN LAW (SOEL), THE TAMILNADU DR. AMBEDKAR LAW UNIVERSITY
BEST CITATION – YAZHINI, EMERGING LEGAL AND ETHICAL CHALLENGES IN TELEMEDICINE, EMERGENCY MEDICAL PRACTICE, AND PROFESSIONAL LIABILITY, INDIAN JOURNAL OF LEGAL REVIEW (IJLR), 5 (14) OF 2025, PG. 863-879, APIS – 3920 – 0001 & ISSN – 2583-2344.
CHAPTER 1
1.1 INTRODUCTION:
In past few decades the healthcare sector has tremendously transformed due to a lot a technological advancements, increased awareness among patients, and evolved legal norms. Traditional methods of medical practice which includes of face to face consultation and treatment within the hospital are getting supplemented and in some cases it has been replaced by healthcare in digital mode and emergency based medical procedures. In this shifting world, problems of medical ethics and professional accountability have become increasingly important. The rise of telemedicine, the difficulties of emergency medical practice, and the increasing scrutiny of professional liability all provide significant legal and ethical challenges for medical practitioners.[1]
The history of medicine has been one in which medical ethics has always underpinned the moral basis of medical practice. Thus, the principles of autonomy, beneficence, nonmaleficence and justice guide decision-making by health care practitioners. However there are complexities in the application of these moral values especially when health care is provided virtually, or in an emergency setting where resources, time and patient consent may be lacking. The task of the law, in contrast, is to control medical practice through standards of treatment, identification of professional duties and attributions for negligent or wrongful conduct. The balance between ethics and law in contemporary medical care deserves scrutiny.
[1] World Health Organization, Global Strategy on Digital Health 2020–2025 (WHO 2021).