Reflexões acerca do uso da telemedicina no brasil: oportunidade ou ameaça?

Abstract

Technological advances have brought a new reality of work and assistance offered by health professionals. Digital health is the term given for the use of technologies to provide health care, promotion and education. Encompasses, among others, telemedicine, inherent specifically to the practice of distance medicine. Telemedicine has been developed for many decades with many experiences in the most varied cultures and socioeconomic realities, acting as a tool of teleassistance, teleconsultation, tele expertise, remote monitoring, multicentric research and educational activities. This article aims to present a critical review about the use of telemedicine medicine in Brazil. The highlight of the discussions on the topic refers mainly to the regulation of the practice of teleconsultations, an activity used in several countries and authorized in Brazil during the COVID-19 pandemic. The literature shows experiences and opportunities for the use of telemedicine, such as: increasing access to health services, reducing patient travel, reducing costs and bringing specialists closer to the population of remote regions. However, a recent attempt at regulation by the Federal Council of Medicine (CFM) has raised a series of discussions between specialists and medical associations, highlighting threats such as: increased possibility of misdiagnosis, overuse, data and private information insecurity, and possible vector of unemployment medical professionals. The liberation of the use of telemedicine during the pandemic showed an opportunity for professionals and for the Brazilian population to experience this new way of providing medical services, which will certainly contribute to future discussions and possible regulation.