Telepsychiatry in addiction treatment: Evaluating India’s telemedicine guidelines

Telemedicine has improved healthcare delivery by enhancing treatment access and convenience. India's telemedicine adoption was limited before COVID-19 due to legal ambiguity and judicial barriers, but the pandemic prompted the development and implementation of Telemedicine and Telepsychiatry Operational Guidelines. The telemedicine guideline established ethical frameworks, consultation protocols, and medication categories for tele-consultation. This viewpoint article examines the advantages and limitations of current telemedicine guidelines in the context of addiction treatment. Given India's high substance uses prevalence, rural healthcare disparities, and a huge substance use disorder treatment gap, telepsychiatry offers a path to improve treatment access and thereby, reducing stigma and improve treatment outcomes. Even though the current telemedicine guideline is a good first step, it is severely limiting addiction treatment. The major limitations are restrictive medication lists, lack of evidence-based recommendations, privacy concerns, and regulatory gaps. Key recommendations include reclassifying non-abusable medications and adequately addressing legal and privacy concerns.