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

• Published in: BMC health services research Vol. 24; no. 1; p. 372
• Main Authors: Silva, Angélica Baptista, Pisa, Ivan Torres, Messina, Luiz Ary, Pelogi, Andréa Pereira Simões, Tenório, Josceli Maria, Sousa, Fernando Sequeira, Santos, Daniela Lacerda, Maia, Jessi, de Andrade Filha, Ianê Germano, Guedes, Ana Cristina Carneiro Menezes, de Lima Lopes, Paulo Roberto, da Silva Maia, Paulo Ricardo
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England BioMed Central Ltd 25-03-2024; BioMed Central; BMC
• Subjects: Brazil - epidemiology; Consent; COVID-19; COVID-19 - epidemiology; COVID-19 Testing; Cross-Sectional Studies; Decision making; Digital Health; Disease transmission; Education policy; Electronic health records; Evaluation; Health care; Health services; Humans; Medical care; Medical diagnosis; Pandemics; Professionals; Quality management; Teams; Telehealth; Telemedicine; Workloads; Brazil; Telehealth; Telemedicine; Digital Health
• ISSN: 1472-6963; 1472-6963
• DOI: 10.1186/s12913-024-10723-8

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.
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.
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.
It is necessary for Brazil to build a resilient model of the maturity of telehealth services that contemplates the different regional scenarios.