Glaucoma and Telemedicine.

PRCIS: Teleglaucoma is the future, but there is a need for clearer regulation by government agencies and medical entities, as well as for studies to further demonstrate the cost-effectiveness and safety of teleglaucoma strategies at a global scale. ABSTRACT: The coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic drastically impacted global health, forcing institutions to provide alternative models of safe and reliable health care. In this context, telemedicine has been successfully used to overcome distance barriers and improve access to medical services. Teleglaucoma is the application of telemedicine to screen and monitor glaucoma, a chronic and progressive optic neuropathy. Teleglaucoma screening aims to detect the disease at an earlier stage, especially in high-risk populations and underserved areas, also identifying patients who require more urgent treatment. Teleglaucoma monitoring seeks to provide remote management through virtual clinics, where classic in-person visits are replaced by synchronous data collection (clinical measurements) performed by non-ophthalmologists and asynchronous review (decision-making) by ophthalmologists. This may be employed for low-risk patients with early disease, improving health care logistics, reducing the number of face-to-face consultations, and saving time and costs. New technologies may also allow home monitoring of patients in teleglaucoma programs, with the addition of artificial intelligence methods, which are expected to increase the accuracy of remote glaucoma screening/monitoring and support clinical decision-making. However, for the incorporation of teleglaucoma into clinical practice, a complex system for collection, transfer, flow, and interpretation of data is still necessary, in addition to clearer regulatory markers by government agencies and medical entities.

Mentoria: vantagens e desafios da educação on-line durante a pandemia da Covid-19 / Mentoring: advantages and challenges of online education during the Covid-19 pandemic

Resumo: Introdução: A mentoria é uma importante estratégia de ensino em cursos de graduação e no treinamento profissional, especialmente no momento em que o mundo vivencia a pandemia da Covid-19. Essa estratégia possibilita aprendizado dinâmico e coletivo, ao mesmo tempo que minimiza os impactos sociais e emocionais gerados pela pandemia, sem comprometer o isolamento físico. Relato de experiência: A experiência dos alunos da UFMG com a mentoria nos formatos presencial (realizada em 2019) e virtual (durante a pandemia de 2020) demonstrou que, apesar de a modalidade virtual ter aspectos negativos, as vantagens são superiores. O aspecto mais vantajoso elencado por todos os mentorandos foi a possibilidade de discutir temas que iam além do aprendizado da medicina, como uma forma de preparação prática para a vida profissional. Discussão: A mentoria é uma estratégia singular de grande importância na educação médica. O formato misto, composto por reuniões virtuais e presenciais, foi considerado o melhor modelo para sua aplicação. Conclusão: Acreditamos que o presente relato estimulará outras instituições a adotar disciplinas no formato de mentoria, além da utilização do recurso remoto como estratégia de ensino.

Abstract: Introduction: Mentoring is an important teaching tool in undergraduate courses and in professional training, especially at a time when the world is experiencing the Covid-19 pandemic. This strategy enables dynamic and collective learning, while minimizing the social and emotional impacts generated by the pandemic, without compromising physical isolation. Experience report: The experience of UFMG students with mentoring in the face-to-face (held in 2019) and virtual (during the 2020 pandemic) format demonstrated that, although the virtual modality has negative aspects, these are outweighed by the advantages. The most advantageous aspect listed by all the mentors was the possibility of discussing topics that went beyond the learning of medicine, as a way of practical preparation for professional life. Discussion: Mentoring is a unique strategy of great importance in medical education. The mixed format, composed of virtual and face-to-face meetings, was considered the best model for its application. Conclusion: We believe that the present report will encourage other institutions to adopt disciplines in the form of mentoring, in addition to using the remote resource as a teaching strategy.