Global Health Intelligence, Coral Gables , Florida , United States
The pandemic spurred a rapid uptake of telemedicine by sidelining or overcoming the various challenges of implementing remote patient-care solutions, identified in numerous studies. Although the pandemic was the major factor driving adoption of telemedicine and telehealth, there are still several barriers that health systems need to address. However, health care administrators can rely on this modality of care as evidence largely shows that it is safe, effective, and widely accepted. This technical report gives a broad-strokes update on the development of telemedicine after the COVID pandemic in Chile, Brazil, Mexico and Colombia—the four countries that made the greatest strides in the field of telemedicine and telehealth in Latin America, identifying which barriers still persist to its full integration into the health system. Spanish Language Translation La pandemia alentó la rápida adopción de la telemedicina dejando de lado o superando varios de los desafíos que implica la implementación de las soluciones de atención remota de pacientes, identificados en numerosas investigaciones. Si la pandemia fue el gran impulsor para la adopción de la telemedicina y la telesalud, todavía quedan varias barreras que los sistemas de salud deben abordar; sin embargo, los administradores de atención médica pueden confiar en la modalidad, ya que la evidencia muestra en gran medida que es segura, eficaz y ampliamente aceptada. El presente reporte técnico ofrece un panorama general del desarrollo de la telemedicina con posterioridad a la pandemia de COVID-19 en Chile, Brasil, Colombia y Argentina, cuatro de los países que más avances hicieron en el campo de la telemedicina y la telesalud en América Latina, identificando cuáles fueron las barreras que todavía persisten para su integración completa al sistema de salud.
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
The statements, opinions and data contained in the journal are solely those of the individual authors and contributors and not of the publisher and the editor(s). We stay neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.