Telehealth and Telemedicine in Latin American Rheumatology, a New Era After COVID-19.

ABSTRACT: Telemedicine is the delivery of health care services by health care professionals using information and communication technologies to exchange valid information for the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of diseases. Telemedicine was further developed in Latin America during the COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) pandemic, becoming the first line of defense for health professionals to stop the spread of infections and allow them to continue the care of their patients. During the pandemic, 79% of rheumatologists in Latin America reported the use of remote communication, the most frequent being the use of phone calls and WhatsApp voice messages. In contrast, 84% of the patients reported that telemedicine was appropriate for them during the pandemic, but only 54% considered telemedicine to be a valid option for rheumatic health care after the pandemic. Telemedicine and telehealth have advantages such as lower costs, improved access in rural areas, shortage of care providers, and reduction in waiting time for appointments. However, it also has some challenges, such as legal, technological, and organizational barriers. In this review, we explore the current state of telemedicine in Latin America and discuss its future.

[Telemedicine: validation of a questionnaire to evaluate the experience of health professionalsTelemedicina: validação de um questionário para avaliar a experiência dos profissionais de saúde]. / Telemedicina: validación de un cuestionario para evaluar la experiencia de los profesionales de la salud.

Objective: This objective of this work is to develop and validate a questionnaire to evaluate health professionals' experience with telemedicine systems. Methods: Based on an abbreviated, locally validated Spanish-language version of the patient questionnaire developed by Parmanto et al., a group of experts developed a version to evaluate the experience of health professionals who provide telemedicine services. The psychometric behavior of the items was tested in an initial sample of 129 professionals, using exploratory factor analysis. The comprehensibility of the items was then assessed through cognitive interviews. Finally, in a new sample of 329 professionals, the construct validity of the questionnaire was evaluated by means of confirmatory factor analysis (CFA); its criteria of external validity were assessed by comparing the score with that of a summary question. Results: A 12-item questionnaire was obtained, with a two-factor structure and acceptable adjustment indicators documented through CFA. Reliability, convergent validity, and discriminant validity were appropriate. The criteria of external validity showed optimal results. Conclusions: The instrument obtained has adequate psychometric properties and will contribute to the objective evaluation of the experience of health professionals who perform telemedicine.

Objetivo: Desenvolver e validar um questionário para avaliar a experiência dos profissionais de saúde com os sistemas de telemedicina. Métodos: Com base na versão abreviada em espanhol ­ e validada localmente ­ do questionário para pacientes desenvolvido por Parmanto et al., um grupo de especialistas gerou uma versão de consenso para avaliar a experiência de profissionais de saúde que prestam serviços de telemedicina. O comportamento psicométrico dos itens foi testado em uma primeira amostra de 129 profissionais, por meio de análise fatorial exploratória. Em seguida, sua compreensibilidade foi avaliada por meio de entrevistas cognitivas. Por fim, em uma nova amostra de 329 profissionais, avaliou-se a validade de construto do questionário por meio de uma análise fatorial confirmatória (AFC), e sua validade de critério externo, mediante a avaliação de sua pontuação com a de uma pergunta resumo. Resultados: Obteve-se um questionário de 12 itens com estrutura de dois fatores, com indicadores de ajuste aceitáveis, documentados pela AFC. A confiabilidade, a validade convergente e a validade discriminante foram adequadas. A validade de critério externo apresentou ótimos resultados. Conclusões: O instrumento obtido possui propriedades psicométricas adequadas e contribuirá para a avaliação objetiva da experiência dos profissionais que realizam telemedicina.

[Implementation of telemedicine in the Americas: Barriers and facilitatorsBarreiras e facilitadores para a implementação da telemedicina nas Américas]. / Barreras y facilitadores a la implementación de la telemedicina en las Américas.

With millions of people in the world in situations of physical distancing because of COVID-19, information and communication technology (ICT) has become as one of the principal means of interaction and collaboration. The following advantages of ICT have been cited since the start of the new millennium: increased access to information and service delivery, educational strengthening, quality control of screening programs, and reduction of health care costs. In the case of telemedicine, however, a number of barriers-especially technological, human and social, psychosocial, anthropological, economic, and governance-related-have stood in the way of its adoption. The past 20 years have seen an increase in the availability of resources and technical capacity, improvements in digital education, empowerment of patients regarding their treatment, and increased public interest in this area. Successes have included the use of interdisciplinary teams, academic and professional networking, and virtual medical consultations. After reviewing the state of telemedicine in the Region of the Americas, the authors recommend the urgent adoption of measures aimed at implementing national telemedicine policies and programs, including a regulatory framework and adequate funding. Implementation of the measures should be integrated and interoperable and include the support of academic networks and the collaboration of specialized institutions. The policies should generate an enabling context that ensures sustainability of the progress achieved, bearing in mind the possible barriers mentioned.

Com milhões de pessoas no mundo em situação de distanciamento físico devido à COVID-19, as tecnologias da informação e comunicação (TICs) se enquadraram como um dos meios principais de interação e colaboração. Já no início deste milênio, começaram a ser mencionadas as seguintes vantagens: maior acesso à informação e à prestação de serviços; fortalecimento da educação; controle de qualidade dos programas de detecção e redução dos custos na atenção à saúde. No entanto, entre as principais barreiras de adoção da telemedicina se encontram as de caráter: tecnológico; humano e social; psicossocial e antropológico; de governança e econômico. Nestes 20 anos, houve um aumento nos recursos e na capacidade técnica, uma melhora na educação digital, um empoderamento do paciente em seu tratamento e um maior interesse público nessa área. Em especial, são consideradas bem-sucedidas a constituição de equipes interdisciplinares e as redes acadêmicas e profissionais, e as consultas médicas virtuais. Após revisar o estado da telemedicina na Região das Américas, os autores recomendam a adoção de medidas urgentes para implementar políticas e programas nacionais de telemedicina, incluindo o marco normativo e o orçamento necessário. Essa implementação deve ser realizada de maneira integral e interoperável e sustentada por redes acadêmicas, de parceria e instituições especializadas. Tais políticas devem gerar um contexto favorável, dando sustentabilidade ao avanço obtido e considerando os aspectos mencionados nas possíveis barreiras.

Implementation of the ECHO® telementoring model for the treatment of patients with hepatitis C.

We aimed to implement the Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes (ECHO) telementoring model for hepatitis C and to evaluate its outcomes in the health providers. Following the ECHO model, an hepatitis C teleECHO clinic was established at the Hospital Italiano in Argentina. The teleECHO clinic provides support and training to physicians from Patagonia who treat patients with hepatitis C. In order to evaluate the teleECHO clinic outcomes, physicians completed a survey focused on skills and competence in hepatitis C before and after 6 months of participating in the project. The survey consisted of 10 questions, which participants rated from 1 to 7 (1 no ability; 7 highest ability). To analyze the difference before and after participation in the project, Wilcoxon signed-rank test was used. During the first 6 months of implementation of the model, a total of 14 physicians from 12 sites in Patagonia agreed to participate in the survey. The median age of the participants was 42 years. Participants' primary specialties were Hepatology (55%), Infectious Diseases (25%), General Practice (10%), and other (10%). A significant improvement was observed in all the evaluated fields after 6 month of the participation in the teleECHO clinic, namely fibrosis staging, determining appropriate candidates for treatment, and selecting appropriate HCV treatment. In addition, their general interest in hepatitis C increased. We successfully replicated and implemented the first teleECHO clinic in Argentina. Physicians improved their ability to provide best practice care for patients with Hepatitis C. J. Med. Virol. 89:660-664, 2017. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Problem Detection and Optimization of a Personal Health Record Driven by a Helpdesk Support Tool.

This study aims to assess the value of a help desk in a Personal Health Record (PHR) for monitoring and improving PHR functionalities and processes. Through analysis of 327 help desk tickets categorized by users as telemedicine and PHR requests, we identified four main gaps: information and feedback, access to clinical documents, usability, and ubiquity. The tickets highlighted end users' needs such as timely feedback, contextual information, effective communication, and ease of access to clinical documentation. These findings were crucial for initiating improvement cycles for various functionalities and processes within the PHR.

Effectiveness, Costs and Satisfaction of Telemedicine: Review of the Current State.

The objective of this study was to summarize the evidence in relation to telemedicine systems as regards their effectiveness, costs and satisfaction in the last decade. A summary of main findings is presented. According to results telemedicine proved to be a feasible and effective tool to provide health care as a replacement or complement to usual care, especially when applied to chronic diseases.

Effect of the COVID-19 Lockdown on Patients Valuation of Usability of Telemedicine.

The aim of this paper was to report patient valuation of usability with our telemedicine system and to explore the effect of pandemic in its behavior. We conducted a cross-sectional study based on the prospective recollection of the results of the Spanish abbreviated version of the Telehealth Usability Questionnaire (TUQ), from October 2019 to July 2020. We observed an inflection point of growth of answers during the pandemic era and a trend of decrease in usability valuations coinciding with the massive and forced implementation of the system after lockdown. This effect was transitory, evidencing an improvement over time. These results might be explained with a sociotechnical approach that includes considering the learning curve and suggest the importance of a telemedicine usability tool to guide decision-making. In conclusion, tools to assess telemedicine services may identify facilitators and barriers to its use in a highly changing social and technological context.

Exploring the Digital Divide as a Barrier to Use of a Personal Health Record in the Elderly.

The digital divide can hinder the ability of elderly patients to fully benefit from PHRs. They are "digital immigrants", not having the life-long exposure to technology as younger generations, as well as physical and cognitive disabilities. The aim of this study was to explore the digital divide as a barrier for the use of a PHR in older adults (> 69 years of age) and describe the use of a PHR in an elderly population in Argentina. We conducted a cross sectional study which included older adults who attended the Coronavirus vaccination campaign in 2021. Data were collected through a survey encompassing digital divide factors and use of the PHR. A total of 128 participants agreed to complete the survey, 60.15% reported using the PHR. We found a statistically significant correlation of education level, having a personal computer and internet access with PHR use. Concerning PHR users, 45.45% reported needing assistance to use it. Although the elderly population represents a large portion of patients, there is not enough research done on their use experience using eHealth solutions. There is pending work in the eHealth field to integrate these elders into current PHRs and help them enjoy their benefits.

White Coat Uncontrolled Hypertension in Teleconsultation: A New and Frequent Entity.

INTRODUCTION: Cardiovascular risk seems not to be greater in patients with white coat uncontrolled hypertension (WUCH) than in patients with sustained blood pressure (BP) control. Therefore, its detection is important to avoid overtreatment. The COVID-19 pandemic determined a massive migration of hypertension consultations from the face-to-face modality to teleconsultations, and it is unknown whether WUCH exists in this context. AIM: We aimed to evaluate the prevalence of WUCH through home BP monitoring (HBPM) in treated hypertensive patients evaluated by teleconsultation. METHODS: We included treated hypertensive patients that owned a digital BP monitor. During teleconsultation, patients were asked to perform two BP measurements and then a 7-day HBPM, using the same device. Patients were classified as having WUCH if BP was ≥ 140 and/or 90 mmHg in teleconsultation and < 135/85 mmHg on HBPM. The prevalence of WUCH and its 95% confidence interval were estimated. One-way ANOVA, the Chi-square test or Fisher's exact test were used to compare the characteristics of these patients with the other groups. RESULTS: We included 341 patients (45.2% male, mean age 62.3 years). The prevalence of WUCH was 33.1% (95% CI 28.3-38.3%). Significant differences were found in terms of age, the number of antihypertensive drugs and the use of calcium channel blockers, all lower in the WUCH group as compared with the groups with elevated BP on HBPM. CONCLUSION: WUCH exists in teleconsultation and is very frequent. It can be easily detected though HBPM, thus avoiding overmedication, and its potential impact on side-effects and health costs.

Evaluation of Telehealth Service for COVID-19 Outpatients: A Dashboard to Measure Healthcare Quality and Safety.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, changes and improvements regarding the organization have been made to adapt quickly at the Emergency Department (ED) of the Hospital Italiano de Buenos Aires, Argentina. This article describes the design, implementation, and use of an electronic dashboard which provided monitoring of patients discharged home, during follow-up with telehealth. It was useful to access essential information to organize and coordinate professional work and patients' surveillance, providing highly relevant data in real-time as proxy variables for quality and safety during home isolation. The implemented tool innovated in the integration of technologies within a real context. The information management was crucial to optimize services and decision-making, as well to guarantee safety for healthcare workers and patients.

Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Telehealth and In-Person Visits: Implications from an Emergency Department in Argentina.

Since Argentina's government declared a national emergency to combat the COVID-19 pandemic with a lockdown status, it has produced consequences on the healthcare system. We aimed to quantify the effect on the Emergency Department (ED) visits at Hospital Italiano de Buenos Aires. Our electronic health data showed that ED in-person visits declined 46% during the COVID-19 pandemic, from an overall of 176,370 visits during 2019 to 95,421 visits during 2020. Simultaneously, there was a telehealth visits boom when mandatory quarantine began (March 20, 2020): from a median of 12 daily in February 2020 to a median of 338 daily in April 2020; reaching a maximum daily peak of 1,132 on March 26 2020. For a while, teleconsultations replaced ED visits. Then, when face-to-face visits began to increase, teleconsultations began to decrease slowly, as the phenomenon reversed.

Designing an Atopic Dermatitis Community that Integrates Patient Self-Uploaded Information into the EHR to Optimize Follow-up.

Atopic dermatitis is a common chronic dermatological disease in childhood that can affect people's quality of life. The aim of this study was to inquire about the difficulties, needs and interests related to the disease that people with eczema and their caregivers have; in order to develop a tool that is useful for the follow-up of the illness. Electronic surveys were sent to potential users and interviews were conducted with professionals who are specialized on the subject. The main findings allowed us to understand the challenges and situations they face on a daily basis, such as the difficulties related to the family support, the queries on the eczema flare-ups, the struggles with the adherence to treatment and the needs of optimizing their quality of life. These results helped us design a tool that allows patients and their companions to better monitor their disease while optimizing communication with their health professionals.

An Online Community for Patient with Psoriasis with Built-in Self-Reported Questionnaires.

This study presents an online psoriasis community developed with dermatologists in a PHR. We describe the interaction of users with this platform and the relationship between the use of self-report questionnaires, their results and users' subsequent contact with the healthcare system. Out of 2175 users that interacted with the platform, 477 visited the forums. 60% of those who completed questionnaires presented at least one abnormal result that prompted a recommendation for an outpatient visit. Although our data suggest a trend, we failed to find a statistically significant association between questionnaire severity and visits scheduling. To our knowledge, this is the first study that analyses the relationship between patient self-reported disease severity and the subsequent contact with the healthcare system.

Information Needs at the O.R. Waiting Room.

The objective of this study was to investigate the difficulties and information needs that both patients and their companions have in the context of a scheduled surgery. Observations in the operating room waiting zone and semi-structured interviews were conducted to patients with scheduled surgeries, their companions, administrative staff members and surgeons. We developed a journey map to explain the patient's experience through the perioperative process. The emerging categories were Fragmented communication, Understanding the surgical process and Waiting times. Knowing the information needs of patients and companions was important to identify problems and opportunities for improvement in our institution's Personal Health Records.

Risk of readmission to the emergency department in mild COVID-19 outpatients with telehealth follow-up.

Introduction: To describe patients´ characteristics of confirmed COVID-19 with mild symptoms discharged home from the Emergency Department (ED) and followed using telemedicine, to estimate ED-readmission rates and hospitalization, and to explore associated factors with these clinical outcomes. Methods: We performed a retrospective cohort study in Hospital Italiano de Buenos Aires from June to August 2020, which included patients with mild COVID-19 symptoms, diagnosed with a positive result. Follow-up occurred from discharged until ED-readmission or 14 days. We estimate cumulative incidence using the Kaplan-Meier model and associated factors using logistic regression. Results: We included 1,239 patients, with a median of 41 years and 53.82% male. A total of 167 patients were readmitted to the ED within 14 days, with a global incidence rate of 13.08% (95%CI 11.32-15.08). Of these, 83 required hospitalization (median time from diagnosis 4.98 days), 5.98% was not related to any COVID-19 complication, and five patients died. After adjustment by confounders (age ≥65, sex, diabetes, hypertension, former smoking, active smoking, fever, diarrhea, and oxygen saturation), we found significant associations: former smoking (adjusted OR 2.09, 95% CI 1.31-3.34, p0 .002), fever (aOR 1.56, 95% CI 1.07-2.28, p0.002) and oxygen saturation (aOR 0.82, 95% CI 0.71-0.95, p0.009). Conclusion: The 13% rate of ED-readmission during 14 days of follow-up of mild symptomatic COVID-19 patients initially managed as outpatients with telehealth is highly significant in hospital management, quality performance, and patient safety.

Introducción: Describir las características de los pacientes COVID-19 con síntomas leves dados de alta desde la Central de Emergencias de Adultos (CEA) y seguidos en forma ambulatoria mediante telemedicina. Estimar las tasas de re-consulta a CEA y hospitalización, y explorar los factores asociados a estos desenlaces. Métodos: Cohorte retrospectiva de Junio a Agosto 2020 en el Hospital Italiano de Buenos Aires, que incluyó personas COVID-19 con síntomas leves. Se siguieron durante 14 días hasta la ocurrencia de re-consulta en CEA y/o hospitalización. Se utilizaron modelos de Kaplan-Meier y regresión logística. Resultados: De un total de 1.239 pacientes, con una mediana de 41 años y 53,82% varones, 167 pacientes re-consultaron a CEA, con una tasa de incidencia global a los 14 días del 13,08% (IC del 95% 11,32 a 15,08). De estos, 83 requirieron hospitalización (media de 4,98 días), el 6% no se relaciona con COVID-19 y 5 pacientes fallecieron. Después del ajuste por factores confundidores (edad ≥65, sexo, diabetes, hipertensión, ex tabaquismo, tabaquismo activo, fiebre, diarrea y saturación de oxígeno), encontramos asociaciones significativas: tabaquismo anterior (ORa 2,09, IC95% 1,31-3,34, p0=0,002), fiebre (ORa 1,56, IC95% 1,07-2,28, p=0,002) y saturación de oxígeno (ORa 0,82, IC95% 0,71-0,95, p=0,009). Conclusión: La tasa del 13% de re-consulta a CEA durante 14 días de seguimiento resultó muy significativa para la gestión hospitalaria, la calidad del desempeño y la seguridad del paciente.

Computerization of a preanesthetic evaluation and user satisfaction evaluation.

Preanesthetic evaluation purpose is to reduce morbidity and mortality through the review of the patient's medical history, clinical examination, and targeted clinical studies, providing referrals for medical consultations when appropriated. Changes in patient care, standards of health information management and patterns of perioperative care, have resulted in a re-conceptualization of this process where the documentation of patient medical information, the efforts in training and maintaining the integrity of the medical-legal evaluation are areas of concern. The aim of this paper is to describe the design, development, training, and implementation of a computerized preanesthetic evaluation form associated to the evaluation of the user satisfaction with the system. Since the system went live in September 2008 there were 15121 closed structured forms, 60% for ambulatory procedures and 40 % for procedures that required hospital admission. 82% of total closed structured forms had recorded a risk of the procedures of 1-2, according to the American Society of Anesthesiologists classification. The survey indicates a positive general satisfaction of the users with the system.

Development and implementation of an integrated EHR for Homecare Service: a South American experience.

This paper describes the development and implementation of a web based electronic health record for the Homecare Service program in the Hospital Italiano de Buenos Aires. It reviews the process of the integration of the new electronic health record to the hospital information system, allowing physicians to access the clinical data repository from their Pc's at home and with the capability of consulting past and present history of the patient health care, order, tests, and referrals with others professionals trough the new Electronic Health Record. We also discuss how workflow processes were changed and improved for the physicians, nurses, and administrative personnel of the Homecare Services and the educational methods used to improve acceptance and adoption of these new technologies. We also briefly describe the validation of physicians and their field work with electronic signatures.

Integration of healthcare information: from enterprise PACS to patient centered multimedia health record.

Every single piece of healthcare information should be fully integrated and transparent within the electronic health record. The Italian Hospital of Buenos Aires initiated the project Multimedia Health Record with the goal to achieve this integration while maintaining a holistic view of current structure of the systems of the Hospital, where the axis remains are the patient and longitudinal history, commencing with section Computed Tomography. Was implemented DICOM standard for communication and image storage and bought a PACS. It was necessary adapt our generic reporting system for live up to the commercial RIS. The Computerized Tomography (CT) Scanners of our hospital were easily integrated into the DICOM network and all the CT Scans generated by our radiology service were stored in the PACS, reported using the Structured Reporting System (we installed diagnostic terminals equipped with 3 monitors) and displayed in the EHR at any point of HIBA's healthcare network.

Designing a Patient-Centered Notification System into a PHR.

Personal health records could help patients overcome the anxiety related to gaps on health related information. The objective of this research was to explore what type of information was perceived by patients as useful to receive as a notification on their PHR as a framework for the design of a patient-centered notification system. We applied a qualitative approach followed by usability tests. From interviews to patients, we obtained main categories of notifications to include according to its perceived usefulness while, from iterative usability tests, we obtained a final version of prototypes developed according to patient-interface interaction experiences. This research helped us to understand patients needs and behavior to design an efficient notification system and also represents the first step for the development of clinical decision support systems for patients into the PHR with the potential to improve clinical outcomes and healthcare delivery.

[Spanish translation and transcultural adaptation of a questionnaire on telemedicine usability]. / Traducción al español y adaptación transcultural de un cuestionario sobre la usabilidad de la telemedicina.

Telemedicine is the provision of services by health professionals, through the use of information and communication technologies. Its implementation helps to shorten distances, facilitate access to the health system, improve the effectiveness of care and reduce costs. In 2016, Bambang Parmanto et al, developed and validated a questionnaire in English that measures its usability and allows to evaluate all the factors that influence it. Since similar tools do not exist in the Spanish language to date, a research work was carried out for transcultural translation and adaptation that included seven steps. The questionnaire obtained after this process provides a valuable tool to objectify information that is vital to contribute to the cycle of continuous improvement of the care process of these characteristics, in which patients, health professionals and funders are involved.

La telemedicina es la prestación de servicios por profesionales de la salud, mediante la utilización de tecnologías de la información y la comunicación. Su implementación contribuye a acortar distancias, facilitar el acceso al sistema de salud, mejorar la efectividad de los cuidados y reducir costos. En 2016, Bambang Parmanto y col., desarrollaron y validaron un cuestionario en inglés que mide su usabilidad y permite evaluar todos los factores que influyen en la misma. Dado que no existen hasta la fecha herramientas similares en el idioma español, se llevó a cabo un trabajo de investigación para la traducción y adaptación transcultural que incluyó siete pasos. El cuestionario obtenido luego de este proceso brinda una herramienta valiosa que permite objetivar información que resulta vital para contribuir al ciclo de mejora continua del proceso asistencial de estas características, en el que están involucrados los pacientes, los profesionales de la salud y los financiadores.