[Factors associated with the non-use of telehealth consultancy by physicians of the Family Health Strategy]

The use of Information and Communication Technologies in Primary Health Care in Brazil - the period of 2014 to 2018

Information and Communication Technologies in Health allow the storage and processing of digital data, access to information and remote communications. The objective of this article was to describe the use of these Technologies to support clinical practice and continuing education by primary health care teams in Brazil the period of 2014 to 2018, within the scope of the Access and Quality Improvement Program Basic, according to characteristics of the geopolitical context. It's a cross-sectional study that analyzed the data collected from the teams of the Basic Health Units. A growing use by the teams of Telehealth resources, the Telemedicine University Network and the Open University of the Unified Health System was observed to aid clinical practice and permanent health education. In the North and Northeast regions, the use of these Technologies doubled, from cycle II to cycle III. The need for investments in infrastructure, human resources in Primary Health Care, qualification and professional training is a way to strengthen the Unified Health System and its Health Care Network, contributing to a continuous flow of care, with quality and access universal.

[Assessment of the implementation of an care teleregulation project in a Brazilian capital city]

This study evaluates the degree of implementation (DI) of the Regulates+ Brazil project and analyzes to what extent the variations in implementation influence the results observed in access to specialized appointments in Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil. This is an evaluative research of implementation analysis. A logic model and an analysis and judgment matrix with indicators for evaluating the degree of implementation and the results of the Project were developed and submitted to expert consensus. The data collection was conducted via a semi-structured questionnaire applied to key informants and secondary data extracted from the official documents from Regulates+ Brazil and Brazilian National Regulation System (SISREG), referring to the period from May/2020 to May/2021, which were consolidated and compared with values defined in the matrix. The degree of implementation of the Regulates+ Brazil project in Recife was considered to be implemented (83.7%), as well as the Structure (81.7%) and Methods (84.6%) dimensions. However, most effect indicators underperformed, which, when confronted, were consistent with bottlenecks observed in some components and subcomponents of the Project, such as the performance of professionals in basic health units, which was indicated as incipient, especially regarding follow-up of returned requests. The results suggest that any intervention in Telehealth requires, for its proper implementation, the adequacy of teams and work processes, practices of Continuing Education, as well as a continuous evaluation process, to achieve the expected results, or else it will become another bureaucratization and barrier to access.

[Incorporation of telehealth in primary healthcare and associated factors in Brazil]

The study aimed to analyze the Brazil Networks Telehealth Program in the context of primary healthcare (PHC) in Brazil and to identify related factors. This cross-sectional study used data from the second cycle of the Program for Improvement of Access and Quality of Basic Healthcare (PMAQ-AB). The sample consisted of 29,756 healthcare teams who joined the program voluntarily. Independent variables included contextual characteristics (region and population size), healthcare unit (type, telephone access, broadband, number of physicians and nurses, consultation offices, community health workers' room, meeting room, existence of telehealth) and health team characteristics (institutional support). Crude and Poisson regression-adjusted analyses assessed which variables are associated with greater use of telehealth. Prevalence of use of telehealth was 32.7% in the total sample and 73.3% among teams with the Program implemented. Tele-education was the most frequently used modality. Higher rates of prevalence of use were found in the South and Southeast of Brazil, in municipalities with up to 30,000 inhabitants, with telehealth implemented in the unit, with presence of at least one physician, and with at least one telephone available in the service. Institutional support had a 40% positive impact on prevalence of use of telehealth. Infrastructure variables such as Internet and availability of rooms with different purposes appeared not to significantly impact the use of these technologies, indicating that institutional support and the implementation of telehealth itself in the unit are more important for increasing adherence to the Program.

Challenges in the care of patients with Chagas disease in the Brazilian public health system: A qualitative study with primary health care doctors

BACKGROUND

Care to patients with Chagas disease (CD) is still a challenge for health systems in endemic and non-endemic countries. In the Brazilian public health system, the expansion of Primary Health Care (PHC) services to remote and disadvantaged areas has facilitated the access of patients with CD to medical care, however this is in a context where care gaps remain, with insufficient public funding and inadequate distribution of services. Considering the need for studies on care to patients with CD in different settings, this study explored the challenges of family doctors to provide care to patients with CD in an endemic region in Brazil with high coverage of public PHC services.

METHODS AND FINDINGS

This is a qualitative study. A focus group with 15 family doctors was conducted in a municipality participating in a multicenter cohort that monitors almost two thousand patients with CD in an endemic region in Brazil. The data were analyzed using a thematic content analysis technique. The family doctors pointed out the following challenges for care to patients with CD: unsatisfactory medical training (academic education not suitable for the clinical management of the disease, and lack of training on CD in PHC); uncertainties regarding antiparasitic treatment in the chronic phase of the disease; difficulty in patients' access to specialized care when necessary, especially to the cardiologist; and trivialization of the disease by patients as a barrier to seeking care.

CONCLUSION

The access of CD patients to adequate medical care, even in regions with high coverage of public PHC services, still represents an important challenge for health systems. The results of this study may contribute to the development of strategies to improve the clinical management of CD in PHC.

[Use of telehealth as a tool to support continuing health educationUtilización del Programa de Telesalud en el estado de Maranhão como herramienta para apoyar la educación permanente sobre la salud]

OBJECTIVE

To assess the usage of services provided by the State of Maranhão Telehealth Program, Brazil, as a tool to support continuing health education for primary care workers.

METHOD

This quantitative, descriptive study used data from the Brazilian National Telehealth Platform for the years 2015 and 2016. To assess teleconsultations requested by municipalities and health care units in the state of Maranhão, the monthly system usage rate and the mean monthly request rate per municipality and primary health care unit were calculated. Teleconsultations were described regarding the requester's profession, most frequent topics, satisfaction with the response provided, and resolvability of responses. Tele-education activities were classified according to the number of computers and users logged into the activity.

RESULTS

From January 2015 to December 2016, 13 976 teleconsultations were provided, requested by 47 municipalities. Most municipalities were small (up to 40 thousand residents) and had low municipal human development index (0.512 to 0.768). The mean overall usage rate and the monthly usage rate by municipality and unit were higher than those reported in the literature. Nurses and community health agents were the most active requesters. Of the users who completed the optional evaluation, over 80% stated that their question was answered.

CONCLUSIONS

The usage indicators for the state of Maranhão Telehealth Program were more positive than those reported by other telehealth services in Brazil and abroad. This indicates that the Program is sustainable, with good potential to support primary care and be used as a tool for continuing health education.