ABSTRACT
This article describes 8 guiding principles for the digital transformation of the health sector and identifies their relationship with the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as highlights their importance to countries undergoing digital transformation processes. In the Region of the Americas, among other gaps, 30% of people do not have access to the Internet, which is why it is mandatory to develop policies and actions to deliver public health interventions equitably and sustainably to ensure that no one is left behind. The 8 principles focus on the 4 areas of a sustainable health system-human, social, economic, and environmental-and highlight the broader possibilities for using digital technology to have an impact on the sustainability of health systems. (Am J Public Health. 2022;112(S6):S621-S624. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2022.306749).
Subject(s)
COVID-19 , Pandemics , COVID-19/epidemiology , Humans , Public HealthABSTRACT
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.