Telemedicine in medical practices and its contribution to quality and accessibility to care

(Christopher Boswell, Unsplash)

This article was exclusively written for The European Sting by Ms. Nubia Bethânia de Freitas, from Goiás, Brazil, a medical student at Uniderp, Campo Grande, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil. She is affiliated to the International Federation of Medical Students Associations (IFMSA), cordial partner of The Sting. The opinions expressed in this piece belong strictly to the writer and do not necessarily reflect IFMSA’s view on the topic, nor The European Sting’s one.

Over the years much has been discussed about the care of those with reduced mobility, or other limitation that prevented them from having access to large specialized care centers, due to financial conditions, as well as to reside in places of difficult access that sometimes they do not have trained professionals.

Thus, there is a change in the professional medical profile and also in the form of care provided, which has facilitated access to this population which has often been marginalized. In this sense, there is the stimulus in the development of telemedicine that aims to ensure access, equity and quality in care.

(WHO) defines telemedicine as offering health-related services, where distance is a crucial factor. In this context, a telemedicine improves the quality of care and accessibility to it. Diagnostic access is fast and reliable, and information is needed for diagnosis, prevention, and disease control through the use of communication and information technologies, your city, and even at home.

For this reason, overcoming physical and geographical barriers to the use of health technologies becomes an indispensable tool for medical practices. In a country with a large territorial extension such as Brazil, and with a symbolic portion of the population residing in places that are difficult to access and that have reduced mobility, the use of distinct forms of supportive communication as auxiliaries as disidentifies the care provided. Therefore, the application of Telemedicine services as new instruments in an attempt to overcome as socioeconomic and geographical barriers.

In this sense, Telemedicina expands the actions of professionals, integrating local health services and, at the same time, services located in hospitals and referral centers. Thus, the possibility of maintaining a strategy of continuous care for prevention, diagnosis and treatment is guaranteed, thus the principles of health as a universality and equity can be contemplated.

Thus, aiming at improving the health care landscape, the configuration services configured as an excellent opportunity for the quality of medical care, especially with regard to accessibility to those residing in needy and remote regions, where it is not possible. a specialized quality coverage. Moreover, it is necessary to foster discussion that aims at the expansion of this practice, guided by ethical and legal, favoring the increase of disclosure and incentive in the sector.

For this, the involvement of professionals, municipal and state managers, the engagement of the Federal, Regional Councils and society are of importance in conducting actions that guide the performance of Telemedicine actions as a transformative instrument in order to shorten the distances without access to them. health equity.

About the author

Nubia Bethânia de Freitas, from Goiás, Brazil, is a medical student at Uniderp, Campo Grande, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil. She is nterested in accessibility issues for people
reduced mobility, as she has experience in this area. She has been with the local IFMSA committee for a year and likes the topics addressed, as they contribute to
building a quality professional doctor.