Telehealth in the Amazon Region in Latin America: an Overview
Abstract
Purpose: This paper describes the current status of telehealth in the Latin American Amazon and displays the result of a distance course on malaria, focused on physicians and healthcare professionals from nine countries of the Amazon region. Methods: Data were collected on telehealth implementation and course participation for the following countries in the Amazon region: Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela and Bolivia. Results: There are 808 Municipalities in the Amazon region. Over half (51.9%) of the Municipalities have implemented or are implementing telehealth projects in the region. Among these 6 countries, Brazil has the highest percentage of municipalities with telehealth projects implemented (498 of 808, 61,6%;), Venezuela (38 of 91, 41.7%) and following by Bolívia (5 of 39; 12,8%). Participation in the distance course on malaria has included 868 students: Brazil, 291 participants (33.5%); Bolivia, 28 (3.2%); Colombia, 104 (12.0%); Ecuador, 52 (6.0%); Guyana, 2 (0.2%); Paraguay 1 (0.1%), 270 Peru (31,1%); 102 Venezuela (11.8%) and others (2.1%). Nearly all (99.1%) of learners would recommend the course to colleagues. Conclusion: Shared action between countries is an important framework that can lead to incorporation of telehealth resources and training for a common, remote setting, as exemplified by international activities in the Amazon region.
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Copyright (c) 2016 Alaneir Fatima Santos, Claudio Souza Souza, Monica Pena Abreu, Cleinaldo Almeida Costa, Maria do Carmo Barros Melo, Rosalia Morais Torres, Aline Costa Pereira, Neuslene Rievrs Queiroz, Humberto José Alves

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