The global health emergency of the last three years has caused significant emotional, financial and economic impacts on society. In the health area, the increase in the costs of medical and hospital supplies, the longevity index and the incidence of chronic diseases, in addition to the diagnoses and treatments that were no longer performed at the height of the pandemic and are now being updated are, among other factors, related to an accumulated operating loss of R$11.5 billion for health insurance companies, according to the National Supplementary Health Agency (ANS), which constitutes the biggest private sector crisis in history.
Although the market has reinvented itself to ensure quality, with a focus on reducing waste without further burdening patients' bills, this requires a change in behavior among all members of the sector: from doctors to patients, including hospitals and health insurance companies. digital health It is the mechanism that guarantees access and quick solutions to the population's demands, with convenience and less risk of contagion by viral and infectious diseases, especially in face-to-face services.
In this context, teleconsultations are a reality that has been established in Brazil with the pandemic and is growing every day. The United States was a pioneer in the practice of digital health, allowing the prescription of digital prescriptions since 2007. According to a study by Global Market Insights, the telemedicine market in the country will reach US$1.4 billion by 2025. In Europe, research published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research indicated that telemedicine is well established in all countries in the region and that the provision of health services using technological devices significantly improves patients' clinical outcomes and long-term follow-up.
With a focus on efficiency, the sector is betting on comprehensive healthcare (physical, mental and social) and with digital technology helping to relieve the sector, resolving patients' pains and complaints virtually. In this disruptive moment, the population, healthcare professionals and the market need to be aware that the success of any therapy is achieved through coordinated care, with due engagement in solving the patient's problems and financial return for healthcare services. It is time to engage the entire system in this structure based on promotion and prevention so that healthcare does not collapse.
Digital health can also contribute immensely by collecting information from individual and population data and cross-referencing data from medical records, electronic medical records, and accident records. With such data, it is possible to generate predictive information and contribute to public health management decision-making. Using population data, for example, it is possible to indicate trends, predict disease risks, and direct resources more efficiently, with new diagnostic models, clinical, geographic, epidemiological, social, genetic, and phenotypic variables. There is a huge range of actions to be explored.
It is urgent that we focus on efficiency and on health promotion, prevention and prediction, using primary care and coordinated care as tools. We need to make assertive choices and this involves raising awareness and engaging the population, in addition to mobilizing all players for the sustainability of the sector through digital health. This is what will allow us to continue to care for people with the most advanced, innovative and humanized resources that medicine combined with technology offers us.
