Educating Chinese medicine practitioners on online consultations

The seminar was attended by more than 250 participants from Chinese medicine organisations

In conjunction with the half-anniversary of the establishment of Malaysian Chinese Medical Society of Epidemic Control and Prevention (CMEC), an online seminar titled “Malaysian Chinese Medicine Anti-epidemic Strategy” was conducted via Zoom on 18 July 2021. The seminar was jointly organised by UTAR Department of Chinese Medicine, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine Malaysian Alumni Association (BUCMMAA), UTAR Chinese Medicine Society and the Association of Graduates from Universities and Colleges of China, Malaysia.

Moderated by CMEC Deputy Secretary Practitioner Katrina Tan Pik Munn, the online seminar was delivered by Practitioner Connie Shu Siew Ing, Practitioner Tee May Chin, Lee Wai Ling and Tan Hui Wan. The seminar aimed to discuss how to conduct online Chinese medicine consultations for patients, as well as to encourage the use of Chinese medicine for the control and prevention of the Covid-19.

The event saw a total of 261 participants from more than 15 Chinese medicine organisations, which included the Malaysian Chinese Medical Association (MCMA), Federation of Chinese Physicians and Medicine Dealers Associations of Malaysia (FCPMDAM), Federation of Chinese Physicians and Acupuncturists Associations of Malaysia (FCPAAM), UTAR, International Medical University (IMU), INTI International University, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Henan University of Chinese Medicine, Heilongjiang University of Chinese Medicine, Peking Tongrentang (M) Sdn Bhd, Shijiazhuang Yiling Pharmaceutical, The Association of Graduates from Universities and Colleges of China, Malaysia.

In his opening speech, CMEC President-cum-UTAR Department of Chinese Medicine Head Assoc Prof Dr Te Kian Keong mentioned that the Society has distributed Chinese medicine herbal drinks to more than 2,500 people through online consultations since March 2020 until now. According to him, about 80 per cent of the recent applications were related to Covid-19 patients, especially those isolated and recovered from the disease at home, as well as those experiencing Covid-19 sequelae such as cough, fatigue, insomnia and poor appetite.

This seminar mainly focused on discussing the advantages and challenges of online consultations as well as the mental preparations for the Chinese medicine sector to resume operations. Throughout the event, the invited speakers also shared their expertise and experience with the participants and talked about the importance of Chinese medicine in the effort of fighting against the pandemic.

CMEC Secretary-General Practitioner Connie Shu Siew Ing drew on the experience of patients and advised Chinese medicine practitioners to be cautious when resuming their operations. She mentioned that they should pay attention to visitors’ risk status of MySejahtera, in order to understand their exposure to the Covid-19 as well as to take into account every symptom of the patient such as cough, sore throat, dyspnea, fatigue, especially low-grade fever and other symptoms that are easily neglected. She advised the practitioners to use personal protective equipment and perform routine disinfection for the clinic to fully protect themselves and their patients. She also emphasised that Chinese medicine practitioners should educate their patients with the right medication knowledge and help them relieve at least some of the anxiety and fear.

CMEC member Practitioner Tee May Chin, who is a licensed practicing practitioner for both China and Malaysia, pointed out that pulse diagnosis cannot be done through online consultations, but they can still use the three Chinese medicine diagnostic methods—inspection (望), listening and smelling (闻), and asking (问). She reminded those seeking online consultations to take their tongue image without beauty filters to avoid misjudgment. “Make sure to ask carefully during the consultation to avoid misunderstanding and conceal the condition. As for listening and smelling diagnosis, especially during the pandemic, cough cases will inevitably increase. The sound of the cough would help in determining the choice of herbal medicine. “Therefore, online consultation is not as terrible as imagined,” she said, encouraging the local Chinese medicine practitioners to actively try to change and accept this new normal. She also added that it was very important to repeatedly emphasise the importance of medical advice and explanations, and to make sure the patients are given the correct guidance.

GHHS Healthcare Traditional Chinese Medicine Centre Manager Lee Wai Ling, who is in charge of the distribution of Chinese medicine herbal drinks, shared some of her experience and how she made her way to communicate effectively with patients and the public during the pandemic. She tried her best to help people in need, and always handled urgent cases online to arrange the delivery of the herbal drinks.

Tan Hui Wan, an affiliate member of CMEC, shared her story and journey of volunteering herself in the CMEC and acting as the "frontline" of TCM to fight against the pandemic. She mentioned that she witnessed a gradual increase in the public's recognition and trust in the adoption of Chinese medicine during the two months she participated in the effort. She also called for more Chinese medicine centres or Chinese medicine stores, and even college students to actively join in the fight against the pandemic.

In the Q&A session, Dr Te and the speakers answered the questions raised by the participants in order to clear their confusion such as the selection of Chinese medicine for patients with Glucose-6-Phosphate Dehydrogenase deficiency (G6PD). Some Chinese Medicine therapy such as home-based acupoint massage and Qigong were also suggested to the participants during the session. Furthermore, the participants were provided with guidance on how to access mytcm.my. Dr Te called on more Chinese medicine practitioners to join the team and give full play to the application of Chinese medicine in fighting against the Covid-19 in Malaysia.