Abstract
The digitalization of health care has fundamentally transformed how health care services are accessed, delivered, and experienced worldwide. Telemedicine, artificial intelligence–assisted diagnostics, electronic health records, wearables, and mobile health applications are no longer novelties, but have become a substantial part of a modern clinical practice. Although these technologies offer great prospects for making health care more accessible, reducing administrative burden, and improving the quality of care, they also pose significant legal and regulatory challenges. The rate of technological development has far outpaced Thailand’s existing legal frameworks for regulating medical practice, professional accountability, and patient protection. This regulatory “lag” has generated legal grey areas in which patient risks remain insufficiently addressed, and responsibility remains uncertain.
This dissertation examines how Thailand's existing legal frameworks apply to these emerging digital health technologies and assesses whether they are sufficient, at the moment, to address the risks and challenges digital health technologies present. The analysis is focused on three areas: medical malpractice and liability, health data privacy and security, and quality oversight of digital health products, physicians, and health care institutions.
This dissertation argues that although Thailand’s legal framework is adequate to address digitally integrated care, it leaves significant gaps in regulation, enforcement, and governance. Focused reforms are necessary to close these gaps in order to achieve greater legal clarity, strengthen institutional credibility and governance, and improve regulatory coordination, ensuring that digital health innovation can thrive as patients remain sufficiently protected.
Subject Area
Law
Degree Date
2026
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
S.J.D.
Department
Dedman School of Law
Advisor
Nathan Cortez
Second Advisor
Seema Mohapatra
Third Advisor
Suratchada Reekie
Number of Pages
337
Format
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License
Recommended Citation
Liamsomboon, Thidarat, "Striving to Thrive: Balancing Digital Health Innovation and Patient Protection Under Thailand’s Legal Framework" (2026). Theses and Dissertations. 29.
https://scholar.smu.edu/law_etds/29
Included in
Health Law and Policy Commons, Medical Jurisprudence Commons, Privacy Law Commons, Science and Technology Law Commons, Telemedicine Commons
