Telemedicine during the Covid-19 pandemic: the case of Uruguay

Abstract

Telemedicine has been an important resource for achieving universal health coverage and mitigating access problems. The health crisis that arose as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic poses the challenge of increasing its incorporation and appropriation by users. This paper describes the use of telemedicine in Uruguay in the context of the pandemic, analysing the regulatory framework and the perception of health system users. Methods: We used information collected through interviews with qualified informants linked to the health system and two surveys, 2020 and 2021, on health and access to medical care during the pandemic in Uruguay. Results: During the health crisis, almost half of consultations were implemented through telemedicine. However, both users and institutions recognised that this modality was mainly carried out through telephone consultations, with great heterogeneity among providers. One of the possible problems of telemedicine refers to who defines the modality: the physician, the patient or the health centre, or whether it should be defined jointly. The survey results show that the consultation modality was mainly defined by users. Patients with chronic non-communicable diseases and those older than 54 years were among those who used non-face-to-face consultations the most. Conclusions: Telemedicine allowed for continuity of care during the COVID-19 pandemic in Uruguay. However, the surveys conducted and the available data show disparities in its use related to age, gender and health coverage, indicating that although it has potential, special attention should be paid to the supply and demand barriers that may arise in its implementation.