Introduction
Your consultation · Teleconsultation
Orthopaedic teleconsultation: who it may suit and what it cannot do
Dr Sean Leo · Orthopaedic Surgeon (Specialist in Orthopaedic Surgery)
Dr Sean LeoOrthopaedic Surgeon, Singapore
Clinic enquiries · Not an emergency service
Illustrative image
A remote consultation suits some situations, not all.
A remote consultation suits some situations, not all.
A remote consultation suits some situations, not all.
A teleconsultation is a medical consultation held remotely instead of in the clinic.[3] It may suit people who live overseas or cannot travel easily. It may not replace an in-person physical examination where one is needed, and it is not for emergencies. OrthoSports clinics offer it. To arrange one, contact the clinic team and ask.
OrthoKinetics is Dr Sean Leo’s professional brand. Clinical consultations and treatment are provided through OrthoSports Orthopaedic & Sports Surgery.
Safety note: Teleconsultation is not for emergencies. In Singapore, go to an emergency department or call 995. If you are overseas, call your local emergency number.
What’s covered on this webpage
Follow the route in order, or jump to the stop you need. Stops you have read are marked.
Who may a teleconsultation suit?
Who may a teleconsultation suit?
Who may a teleconsultation suit?
A teleconsultation may suit people who live overseas. It may also suit people who cannot travel to clinic easily.
Suitability is not something this page can decide. The doctor decides it with you, and the clinic team supports the arrangements. The doctor can tell you whether a teleconsultation suits your situation, or whether being seen in clinic is better.
If your concern is a knee problem, you can read about knee conditions and procedures on this website.
Who may not be suited
A teleconsultation may not suit:
- elderly patients with hearing or speech impairments who are not assisted by a caregiver
- people who have connection problems before or during the consultation
- problems that cannot be adequately assessed by telemedicine[3]
What can a teleconsultation do, and what can it not do
What can a teleconsultation do, and what can it not do
What can a teleconsultation do, and what can it not do?
| A teleconsultation can | A teleconsultation cannot |
|---|---|
| Make it easier to reach a clinic when travel is hard: “Telemedicine can improve patient access to medical care.”[1] | Be the same as in-person care: “it is not equal to conventional in-person care.”[1] |
| Be a way to talk through your history, your concerns and the reports you already have. | Replace a physical examination where one is needed to assess your problem.[3] |
| Help you and the clinician consider whether being seen in person is needed.[2][3] | Be used in an emergency. |
The rules behind this, in plain words
Three sources of Singapore guidance apply. The Singapore Medical Council Ethical Code and Ethical Guidelines are the professional standards doctors in Singapore follow. The Ministry of Health National Telemedicine Guidelines are national guidance on how telemedicine should be provided. Circular 87/2024 is the joint circular from the Ministry of Health, the Health Sciences Authority and the Singapore Medical Council on the rules and professional standards for telemedicine services. In plain words, they say:
1. Where seeing you in person is not reasonably practical, the guidelines allow care by telemedicine alone. Where it is practical, telemedicine must not make the overall quality of care worse than in-person care.[2]
2. Doctors must give you enough information to understand the limits of telemedicine for your own circumstances.[1]
3. A patient or condition that needs a more comprehensive and detailed physical examination for adequate clinical assessment should not be managed through teleconsultation.[3]
4. If a teleconsultation goes ahead, the doctor should explain its limits for your current problem, so you can agree to proceed.[3]
5. If a teleconsultation cannot be completed for any reason, you are advised on other ways to seek care, such as being seen in clinic.[3]
Structure / Patient / Goal
Structure / Patient / Goal
Deciding together
Structure / Patient / Goal
S
Structure: what needs to be looked at?
Structure is your problem. Some things can be talked through, using your history and the reports you already have. Others need an examination.
P
Patient: where are you and what do you need?
Patient means you as a whole person. It includes where you are, how easily you can travel, your connection and equipment, and your records.
G
Goal: what do you want from the conversation?
Goal may be information, a view on next steps, or a plan for being seen. What you want shapes what happens next.
Your plan
These are usually considered together. Some needs, such as an emergency or a problem that needs a physical examination, can on their own make a teleconsultation unsuitable.
How do you arrange a teleconsultation
How do you arrange a teleconsultation
How do you arrange a teleconsultation?
Teleconsultation is provided through OrthoSports Orthopaedic & Sports Surgery, which is licensed to provide remote consultations. Its clinic team can be contacted directly.
- Contact the clinic team using the appointment section on this page: the form, WhatsApp or phone. In the form, please share only your name, email and contact number. Do not include symptoms or medical details.
- Say that you would like to ask about a teleconsultation. The doctor decides whether it suits your situation. The clinic team can tell you what to have ready.
- The clinic team will tell you the next steps.
The clinic team will tell you which clinic provides your teleconsultation and which doctor it will be with. You are also welcome to ask.
How this website handles the details you send is explained in the privacy policy.
What should you have ready?
What should you have ready?
What should you have ready?
A short preparation checklist
- Reports and images from earlier scans or tests, if you have them. Ask the clinic team how to share them. This page has no upload route.
- Letters or reports from other doctors you have seen about the same problem.
- A list of the medicines you take.
- A short list of your questions.
- A quiet, private place with a stable internet connection.[3]
- If you are overseas: tell the clinic team where you are, and any time difference, when they reply.
These are general suggestions. They are not a promise that anything will be reviewed beforehand.
Fees follow the in-person consultation fees.
Fees follow the in-person consultation fees.
Fees follow the in-person consultation fees.
Teleconsultation is available. It is charged at the same fees as a new, follow-up or longer consultation in person. The clinic team can confirm current fees when you arrange an assessment.
Consultation fees and how orthopaedic fees work are explained on the costs and insurance page.
With you through the seasonsMeet Dr Sean Leo
Meet Dr Sean Leo
A consultant orthopaedic surgeon whose clinical focus is the knee, sports injuries and the lower limb.
- Dr Sean Leo is a consultant orthopaedic surgeon. OrthoKinetics is his professional brand; clinical services are provided through OrthoSports Orthopaedic & Sports Surgery at Mount Elizabeth Novena Specialist Centre and Connexion, Farrer Park Hospital.
- His clinical interests include sports injuries, including those in adolescent athletes; ligament reconstruction; realignment surgery; cartilage repair and joint-preservation approaches; knee replacement; and technology-assisted hip and knee surgery.
- The consistent aim is to return people to meaningful function and activity while avoiding unnecessary downtime.
- Qualifications: MBBS, MRCS (Ed), MMed (Ortho), FRCSEd (Ortho).
More detail: Meet Dr Sean Leo
- Training and career: Dr Leo trained in medicine at the National University of Singapore and served in the Singapore Armed Forces Medical Corps from 2000 to 2012, where his work included the care of soldiers in physically demanding roles. He completed postgraduate orthopaedic training in 2009 and a one-year clinical fellowship at Royal North Shore Hospital in Sydney, Australia, before joining Changi General Hospital as an orthopaedic consultant in 2012, where he later held the positions of Senior Consultant and Director of the Hip and Knee Service. With seniority, his educational contribution has evolved towards mentorship and support for junior doctors.
Questions people often ask
Common teleconsultation questions
Common teleconsultation questions
Is a teleconsultation the same as being seen in clinic?
No. A teleconsultation, sometimes called a remote or online consultation, is not equal to conventional in-person care.[1] A problem that needs a more comprehensive and detailed physical examination should not be managed by teleconsultation.[3]
Can I use a teleconsultation in an emergency?
No. Teleconsultation is not for emergencies. See the safety note near the top of this page.
Can I arrange a teleconsultation if I live overseas?
It may suit some people who live overseas. Ask the clinic team whether it suits your situation.
Will I still need to be seen in person?
That depends on your problem. A more comprehensive and detailed physical examination, where needed, is done in person. The doctor should explain the limits for your problem.[3]
How much does a teleconsultation cost?
The fees are the same as for a new, follow-up or longer consultation in person. The clinic team can confirm current fees. How consultation fees work is explained on the costs and insurance page.
Sources
References
References
- Singapore Medical Council (SMC). Ethical Code and Ethical Guidelines (2016 edition), section A6 Telemedicine, pp. 19 to 20. Available at: https://isomer-user-content.by.gov.sg/77/dc3e060b-e2c5-427a-9fe4-00bd3f9e58b2/2016-smc-ethical-code-and-ethical-guidelines—(13sep16).pdf (checked 15 October 2026).
- Ministry of Health (MOH), Singapore. National Telemedicine Guidelines (January 2015), section 1.2 Standards of Clinical Care, p. 11. Available at: https://isomer-user-content.by.gov.sg/95/653f0f66-41c1-4e1c-9edc-d7decdc1bd24/2015-national-telemedicine-guidelines.pdf (checked 15 October 2026).
- Ministry of Health, Health Sciences Authority and Singapore Medical Council. Joint circular on regulations and professional standards for telemedicine services and advertisements, MOH Circular No. 87/2024, 22 November 2024, paragraphs 3, 5 and 7. Available at: https://isomer-user-content.by.gov.sg/7/72a967ab-3994-4beb-b5ec-6958dd8d22fd/MOH%20Cir%2087_2024%20Joint%20Circular%20on%20Regulations%20and%20Professional%20Standards%20for%20Telemedicine%20Services%20and%20Advertisements.pdf (checked 16 October 2026).
Final next step
Final next step
Next step
Final next step
Reading about a problem is a starting point. An assessment brings together the history, an examination where needed and any useful tests, and helps you and your clinician decide what to do next. How much physical examination is needed is a matter of clinical judgement. A remote consultation is suitable only when the doctor judges that there is enough information to assess your problem. The doctor explains its limits for your problem, and the clinic team will advise and help arrange an in-person visit when one is needed.
Teleconsultation is not for emergencies. In Singapore, go to an emergency department or call 995. If you are overseas, call your local emergency number.
Arrange a consultation
Appointments are arranged through the OrthoSports clinic team. Send your details below, or message or call the clinic.
Form: Leave your details and the clinic team will reply to arrange a time.
Fields: Name · Email · Contact number
Button: Request an appointment
Please share only your name, email and contact number. Do not include symptoms or medical details.
WhatsApp: Message the clinic on WhatsApp
Call: Call Orthosports@Novena · Call Orthosports@Connexion
WhatsApp is for clinic enquiries only. It is not an emergency service and is not monitored for urgent care. Website or messaging contact is not an emergency-response service. For a medical emergency, use your local emergency service.
Orthosports@Novena, Mount Elizabeth Novena Specialist Centre · Orthosports@Connexion, Connexion, Farrer Park Hospital
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Arrange a consultation
Appointments are arranged through the OrthoSports clinic team. Send your details below, or message or call the clinic.
Leave your details and the clinic team will reply to arrange a time.
Message the clinic on WhatsApp
-
38 Irrawaddy Road, #10-41 Mount Elizabeth Novena Specialist Centre, Singapore 329563 Map for Orthosports@Novena (opens Google Maps)
-
1 Farrer Park Station Road, #15-17 Connexion, Singapore 217562 Map for Orthosports@Connexion (opens Google Maps)
WhatsApp is for clinic enquiries only. It is not an emergency service and is not monitored for urgent care. Website or messaging contact is not an emergency-response service. For a medical emergency, use your local emergency service.
- OrthoKinetics does not provide emergency or urgent care through this webpage or its WhatsApp contact.