Telehealth in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil: Bridging the Gaps.
In 1988, Brazil adopted a universal healthcare model in which access is mediated by the primary care level. However, difficulties have emerged in the coordination of care between the primary and specialized levels. Telehealth was thus proposed as a means to overcome this challenge. This article describes initiatives developed by a large Brazilian program, TelessaúdeRS/UFRGS, in the fields of teleconsultation, telediagnosis, tele-education, and information technology development to support the public healthcare system.



TelessaúdeRS/UFRGS was established in 2010 to develop a telehealth platform and a support system for primary care teams with a special focus on optimizing the flow between primary and specialized levels of care. To define priorities, TelessaúdeRS analyzes the health needs of the Brazilian population and the most common inquiries it receives from primary care health professionals. This information is then combined with the best available scientific evidence for development of services.



Since 2010, over 50,000 clinical consultations have been provided. More than 15,000 healthcare professionals have benefited from teleconsultations and from telediagnosis and tele-education activities. All services were provided using information technology solutions developed by the Telessaúde team, including smartphone apps and a Web-based National Telehealth Platform.



The case of TelessaúdeRS/UFRGS shows that even in the presence of structural limitations, telemedicine is potentially useful to improve the quality of care and streamline the flow between different levels of care.
1 Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul , Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil .
Erno
E
Harzheim
1 Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul , Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil .
Marcelo Rodrigues
MR
Gonçalves
1 Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul , Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil .
Roberto Nunes
RN
Umpierre
2 Telehealth Rio Grande do Sul, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul , Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil .
Ana Célia
AC
da Silva Siqueira
2 Telehealth Rio Grande do Sul, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul , Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil .
Natan
N
Katz
2 Telehealth Rio Grande do Sul, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul , Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil .
Milena R
MR
Agostinho
2 Telehealth Rio Grande do Sul, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul , Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil .
Elise B
EB
Oliveira
2 Telehealth Rio Grande do Sul, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul , Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil .
Josué
J
Basso
2 Telehealth Rio Grande do Sul, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul , Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil .
Rudi
R
Roman
2 Telehealth Rio Grande do Sul, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul , Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil .
Rafael G
RG
Dal Moro
2 Telehealth Rio Grande do Sul, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul , Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil .
Carlos
C
Pilz
2 Telehealth Rio Grande do Sul, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul , Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil .
Ricardo S
RS
Heinzelmann
2 Telehealth Rio Grande do Sul, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul , Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil .
Carlos André Aita
CA
Schmitz
2 Telehealth Rio Grande do Sul, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul , Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil .
Lisiane
L
Hauser
1 Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul , Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil .
Sotero Serrate
SS
Mengue
D001938:Brazil; D004502:Education, Medical, Continuing / Q000458:organization & administration; D006297:Health Services Accessibility / Q000458:organization & administration; D006801:Humans; D020407:Internet; D063731:Mobile Applications; D011320:Primary Health Care / Q000458:organization & administration*; D016730:Program Development; D015397:Program Evaluation; D019114:Remote Consultation / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D000068997:Smartphone; D013222:State Medicine / Q000458:organization & administration*; D017216:Telemedicine / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*
e-health; education; telehealth; telemedicine