Latin American Journal of Telehealth

Summary

Alaneir de Fátima dos Santos — 2025-05-29

Experience of Strategic Support in Telessaúde Bahia

Ticiana dos santos Ferreira — 2025-06-05

Introduction: In Bahia, the Scientific Technical Center (NTC) has been developing activities since 2013, offering clinical, diagnostic and educational support to Primary Health Care (PHC) professionals through teleconsulting, teleeducation and telediagnosis. Composed of nine professionals, the team of AEs operates in 417 municipalities, helping to qualify records in e-SUS/PEC and monitoring SISAB reports. Methodology: This is a retrospective report of the monitoring experience carried out by the AEs team, covering the use of Telehealth offers by PHC professionals from 2018 to 2023, in addition to support for e-SUS PHC from 2023. Results and Discussion: Between 2018 and 2023, the team observed increasing use of telehealth services, especially teleconsulting and telediagnosis, despite a decline in synchronous teleeducation due to the COVID-19 pandemic and other barriers. AEs implement strategies based on continuous assessments to promote the effective use of telehealth, contributing to professional qualification and the improvement of health services. Conclusion: The importance of the work of AEs for the success of Telehealth in Bahia stands out, suggesting the need for continuous studies to face challenges such as lack of knowledge about the service, difficulties in accessing the internet and the need for greater involvement of managers in education permanent health.

Mobile child development tracking applications for parents described in the scientific literature: a scoping review

Victoria Guinle — 2025-05-29

The use of mobile applications to monitor child development is a viable solution to the barriers to access to pediatric care in Brazil. This study aims to review the main mobile apps for parents aimed at tracking child development. A scoping review was conducted in the Scielo, PubMed, Embase and Lilacs databases. The descriptors used were: "developmental milestones" OR "child development" OR "developmental tracker" AND "application" OR "app". The initial search found n=445 studies, of which only 12 met the eligibility criteria. Of these studies, n=9 apps were found and described in terms of their features and functions. Of these, only one is available for use in Brazil. Telehealth in Brazil has emerged as a tool with the potential to overcome continental geographic barriers in favor of access to health care.

Artificial Intelligence in Collective Health Campaigns: Potentialities and Challenges for SUS

Priscila Garcia Maia — 2025-06-04

Introduction: The Fourth Industrial Revolution has brought the implementation of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies into public policies, including health campaigns. Objective: This text aims to list experiences with the use of these software in Public Health campaigns, using an integrative review. Methodology: An integrative review was conducted to identify ways to apply AI in public health campaigns to understand its adoption and impact on the population’s lives, with an emphasis on geoprocessing techniques and machine learning. Results: 26 articles were evaluated, and their results were grouped into information on telemedicine, geospatial AI techniques discussed at national and international levels, and other applications. Discussion: Although AI techniques show success in enhancing health campaigns, the studies revealed a gap between theory and practice in implementing these solutions, highlighting the need for investment in infrastructure and public policies to maximize their transformative potential. Conclusion: Collaborations between researchers, health professionals, policymakers, and society are essential to explore AI’s potential in public health.

Standards and terminologies for health wearables data integration: a scoping review

João Kasprowicz — 2025-06-04

Objective: To map the available evidence on the standards and terminologies used for the integration of data from wearable devices in the health context. Method: A scoping review was carried out, consulting the MEDLINE/PubMed (n=198), Embase (Elsevier) (n=14), Scopus (Elsevier) (n=19) and LILACS (n=5) databases. Full articles, available in English, published between 2019 and 2024 were included. Results: Nine articles were included in the review, highlighting the importance of using different interoperability standards, such as HL7 FHIR^®, to facilitate the exchange of information between wearable devices and health information systems. Conclusion: The results highlight that the effective integration of these data is essential to improve clinical decision-making and provide more personalized care.

Telemedicine and Telehealth Center of Goiás: Contribution to tele-education in the Central-West of Brazil

Cristina Célia de Almeida Pereira Santana, Dra. — 2025-06-05

Objective. To evaluate an initiative by the Goiás Telemedicine and Telehealth Center (NUTTs-GO) to promote teleeducation. Methodology. A descriptive, retrospective study with a quantitative and qualitative approach, in which the bank of web classes between January 2011 and July 2023 was evaluated. Results. There are 225 municipalities in Goiás linked (91.5% adherence). A total of 3,477 network points are connected, serving 2,445 teams and 10,113 professionals. During the period, 1032 video classes were made available, with 637,434 accesses, 264,892 (41.6%) synchronous and 372,542 (58.4%) asynchronous. There has been a gradual increase in online access since 2021. There were 12 disciplinary areas involved and 227 contributing teaching professionals. The following stand out in terms of productivity: Nursing in 2017 (54.1%), Medicine in 2018 (38.5%) and Physiotherapy in 2021 (36.8%). Contents focused on Psychosocial Care stand out, starting in 2020. Conclusion. The existence of thematic diversity, comprehensiveness in the availability of content and multidisciplinary involvement in its construction were verified, criteria that make NUTTs-GO aligned with the presuppositions of the Telehealth Program to foster the permanent education of professionals working in Primary Care. It is suggested, however, to explore the perspective of professionals in order to better understand the impact of teleeducation actions on their work processes with the community.

Using Large Language Models (LLM) as virtual health assistants in Ecuador.

Rodrigo Giovanny Cargua — 2025-06-04

Introduction: Artificial intelligence (AI) is revolutionizing multiple sectors, including healthcare, by introducing innovative solutions that can be compared to the impact of the steam engine. AI can significantly enhance people's lives, protect the planet, and foster prosperity. One notable example is automatic speech recognition, which facilitates communication between humans and computers.
Objectives: This study aims to explore the importance and challenges of adopting large language models (LLMs) as virtual health assistants in Ecuador, and how these models can contribute to improving the quality of healthcare services, particularly within the context of Ecuador’s 2023 Digital Health Agenda. Methods: A review and analysis of official documents, health policy reports, and recent initiatives in Ecuador was conducted. Emphasis was placed on the role of AI technologies, especially LLMs such as GPT-3, GPT-4, and Med-PaLM 2, in supporting healthcare systems in Latin America. Results: LLMs are transforming healthcare by reducing clinicians’ administrative burden and improving decision-making accuracy. They increase access to personalized information and enhance patient engagement. AI can automate up to 36% of tasks in the health and social care sector, helping address the shortage of professionals in OECD countries. In Ecuador, although the 2023 Digital Health Agenda promotes AI through pilot programs, the lack of clear regulatory frameworks, supportive public policies, infrastructure, and digital culture hinders broader implementation. Conclusion: Despite the global advances in AI for health, Ecuador still faces structural and regulatory challenges that limit the application of LLMs. However, with targeted investment and policy development, these technologies have the potential to significantly improve healthcare quality and access across the country.