Numbers recorded by members of Saúde Digital Brasil, which represent 90% of the private telehealth market in the country, are growing exponentially
During the holiday season, the number of telemedicine consultations for cases of influenza and COVID-19 among Saúde Digital Brasil members skyrocketed, jumping from 7,000 to 15,000 between Christmas and New Year's. From New Year's Eve to the first days of January, the number of consultations can exceed 50,000, says Caio Soares, president of Saúde Digital Brasil, a non-profit organization that brings together entities that operate in the telemedicine service provision chain and represent 90% in this market in Brazil. “Since the beginning of December, we have noticed an increase in the number of consultations, especially those related to flu syndromes; in the week before Christmas, we saw an increase of 50% and now we are seeing a much larger movement than we have had during the entire period”. According to Soares, the numbers double every day and a half.
The specialist explains that telemedicine, in addition to relieving the burden on the health system and avoiding both the underutilization of specialists and the overutilization of the system, due to the agility it provides and the volume of data it records, can also provide evidence, from a population perspective, of health movements and illnesses in advance. Which, in this case, is quite worrying. “This has proven to be quite true throughout the pandemic and once again puts us on alert. Performing a statistical analysis based on the curves
“With the growth of telemedicine services, in the case of Covid-19, for example, we noticed that they allow us to anticipate information between five and seven days in relation to what is observed in person. In other words, if there is already a growing trend before the holidays, imagine during this period when people tend to relax with their precautions,” emphasizes Soares.
Therefore, avoiding crowds as much as possible, continuing to follow hygiene precautions, wearing masks, and getting vaccinated are still very important at this time. In addition, seeing a doctor and getting tested whenever you have symptoms or come into contact with someone who is infected is also important for controlling and combating the pandemic.
Care provided via telemedicine is no different from face-to-face care in terms of the possibilities for information and treatment. In other words, it is possible to establish a good relationship between doctor and patient, formalize diagnoses, request tests, prescribe medications and issue documents. “Including in a safer way, as they are issued with a digital signature and much greater control, with the advantage of not having to expose anyone to the risk of contagion in person,” explains Soares.
