Diagnostic evaluation of institutions as a basis for designing the Brazilian maturity model of telehealth services.

BACKGROUND: The number and specificities of telehealth service units that expanded their services and diversified with the COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil need to be discovered. The objective of this manuscript is to present a methodology for the diagnostic evaluation of 19 telehealth units from different regions of the country for federal governmental decision-making. METHODS: A cross-sectional quantitative and qualitative study was carried out in the form of a census based on administrative records with an online survey and in-depth interviews with local telehealth managers. RESULTS: Despite the discontinuity of regular funding, the results point to a diversity of initiatives and advances. Citizenship, sustainability, security, and budget management are recurring themes in the maturity analysis of telehealth services after the advent of the pandemic. CONCLUSION: It is necessary for Brazil to build a resilient model of the maturity of telehealth services that contemplates the different regional scenarios.

Collaboration Between Medical Professionals: Special Interest Groups in the Brazilian Telemedicine University Network (RUTE).

Background and Introduction: In Brazil, the Telemedicine University Network (RUTE) initiative promotes collaboration between university hospitals, teaching hospitals, health professionals, and students using information and communication technology infrastructure to support special interest groups (SIGs) in health care. Health professionals in institutions belonging to RUTE plan a program of video conferences and/or web conferences to discuss specific themes. This article presents the results of an analysis of collaboration in these SIGs. Materials and Methods: This study uses descriptive statistical analysis and visualization of data contained in management reports provided by RUTE national coordinators for the period between 2007 and 2016 to evaluate the extent of participation in SIGs between institutions associated with RUTE. In this data visualization, we employ concepts from social network theory. Results: The analysis identified the most influential institutions as measured by social network theory metrics. A small number of institutions were found to have many participating SIGs, but most had only a few participating institutions (more than 130 institutions have only one participating SIG). Over the study period, a significant quantitative growth in collaboration occurred, increasing from 21 institutions and 92 participating SIGs in 2007 to 380 institutions and 1,912 participating SIGs in 2016. Conclusion: The growth in collaboration within the network indicates increasing interest and participation in telehealth initiatives in Brazil.

The Collaborative Coordination of Special Interest Groups on the Telemedicine University Network (RUTE) in Brazil.

In Brazil the Telemedicine University Network (Rede Universitária de Telemedicina RUTE) is an initiative that among others promotes collaboration between university hospitals, universities, and health professionals through information technology infrastructure and special interest groups (SIGs) support. This paper presents results of analyses on collaboration during implementation and coordination activities of RUTE SIGs. This study is based on descriptive statistics and data visualization previously collected by RUTE national coordination relative to the status in July 2014. The analysis through collaboration graph identified the strongest collaboration RUTE units. The graph also highlights the collaborative relationship of RUTE units in form of communities, the most collaborative with each other in a communion in the same SIGs, and the less the collaborative units in the network. It should be stated that the most active units are also the oldest in the community.