What is the legal framework for teleconsultations in Switzerland?

Telemedicine in Switzerland is subject to the same regulations as in-person medical consultations. As a healthcare professional, you must comply with the applicable medical, legal, and ethical requirements to ensure that consultations are conducted safely and in accordance with the law. Among the key regulations that apply are:

• Medical Professions Act (LPMed): Physicians must adhere to their duty of care, even in teleconsultations, and ensure appropriate medical treatment.
• Federal Data Protection Act (nLPD): Patient data must be protected against unauthorized access through appropriate technical and organizational measures.
• Medical secrecy under the Penal Code: The obligation of confidentiality applies equally to remote consultations, ensuring that no sensitive information is disclosed to third parties.

How to ensure teleconsultations comply with Swiss regulations?

To guarantee that your teleconsultations comply with Swiss regulations, several key aspects must be taken into account:

• Strong authentication: User identity must be reliably verified, for example, through secure passwords, phone validation, or a smart card.
• Access control management: Medical data must be accessible only to authorized healthcare professionals and the patients concerned.
• Incident monitoring: A system should be in place to identify unauthorized access or potential data breaches, allowing for a quick response in case of an incident.
• Compliance with the new data protection law (nLPD): Patients must be informed about how their personal data is processed, and its use must be transparent and strictly necessary.

Implementing these measures ensures not only legal compliance for teleconsultations but also their security and efficiency.

Security requirements for teleconsultation software

What security criteria should be considered when choosing a teleconsultation solution?

The choice of software used for teleconsultations plays a key role in data protection and regulatory compliance. To ensure optimal security for communications, it is recommended to select a solution that offers:

• End-to-end encryption to guarantee the confidentiality of communications between the healthcare professional and the patient.
• Data hosting in Switzerland to comply with national data protection regulations.
• A secure authentication system to restrict access exclusively to authorized users.

Using software that meets these criteria allows healthcare professionals to conduct consultations with complete peace of mind while ensuring compliance with medical confidentiality regulations.

Using OneDoc for secure video streaming

At OneDoc, data protection and security are top priorities. Teleconsultations via OneDoc adhere to the strictest security standards and ensure a secure communication channel between doctors and their patients.

With OCPD and ISO 27001 certifications, OneDoc meets Swiss data protection requirements as well as international security standards. All video communications are fully encrypted, preventing unauthorized third parties from accessing them. The video stream between the doctor and the patient is direct and does not pass through OneDoc’s servers, meaning that no data or recordings of the consultation are stored. This guarantees complete confidentiality of exchanges.

The importance of secure teleconsultations in modern medicine

The established legal framework ensures that teleconsultations are safe and professional, offering a true alternative to traditional consultations. Even if teleconsultation is not suitable for all situations, its scope of application continues to grow, facilitating access to medical care. By adhering to data protection requirements and using secure solutions like OneDoc, healthcare professionals can confidently offer remote consultations while meeting patients’ increasing expectations for flexibility and accessibility.

💡 Would you like to learn more about how the OneDoc teleconsultation module works? Schedule a call with our team today.