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Bridging Learning in Medicine and Citizenship During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Telehealth-Based Case Study.
Cerqueira-Silva, Thiago; Carreiro, Roberto; Nunes, Victor; Passos, Louran; Canedo, Bernardo F; Andrade, Sofia; Ramos, Pablo Ivan P; Khouri, Ricardo; Santos, Carolina Barbosa Souza; Nascimento, Jedson Dos Santos; Paste, Aurea Angélica; Paiva Filho, Ivan De Mattos; Santini-Oliveira, Marília; Cruz, Álvaro; Barral-Netto, Manoel; Boaventura, Viviane.
  • Cerqueira-Silva T; Universidade Federal da Bahia, Salvador, Brazil.
  • Carreiro R; Instituto Gonçalo Moniz, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Salvador, Brazil.
  • Nunes V; Centro de Integração de Dados e Conhecimentos para Saúde-CIDACS, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Salvador, Brazil.
  • Passos L; Universidade Federal da Bahia, Salvador, Brazil.
  • Canedo BF; Hospital Santa Izabel, Salvador, Brazil.
  • Andrade S; Universidade do Estado da Bahia, Salvador, Brazil.
  • Ramos PIP; Universidade do Estado da Bahia, Salvador, Brazil.
  • Khouri R; Centro de Integração de Dados e Conhecimentos para Saúde-CIDACS, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Salvador, Brazil.
  • Santos CBS; Universidade Federal da Bahia, Salvador, Brazil.
  • Nascimento JDS; Instituto Gonçalo Moniz, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Salvador, Brazil.
  • Paste AA; Universidade Federal da Bahia, Salvador, Brazil.
  • Paiva Filho IM; Fundação ProAR, Salvador, Brazil.
  • Santini-Oliveira M; Hospital Santa Izabel, Salvador, Brazil.
  • Cruz Á; Universidade Federal da Bahia, Salvador, Brazil.
  • Barral-Netto M; Universidade Salvador - UNIFACS, Salvador, Brazil.
  • Boaventura V; Secretaria Municipal de Saúde de Salvador, Salvador, Brazil.
JMIR Public Health Surveill ; 7(3): e24795, 2021 03 04.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-2197883
ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND:

COVID-19 presented great challenges for not only those in the field of health care but also those undergoing medical training. The burden on health care services worldwide has limited the educational opportunities available for medical students due to social distancing requirements.

OBJECTIVE:

In this paper, we describe a strategy that combines telehealth and medical training to mitigate the adverse effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

METHODS:

A toll-free telescreening service, Telecoronavirus, began operations in March 2020. This service was operated remotely by supervised medical students and was offered across all 417 municipalities (14.8 million inhabitants) in the Brazilian state of Bahia. Students recorded clinical and sociodemographic data by using a web-based application that was simultaneously accessed by medical volunteers for supervision purposes, as well as by state health authorities who conducted epidemiological surveillance and health management efforts. In parallel, students received up-to-date scientific information about COVID-19 via short educational videos prepared by professors. A continuously updated triage algorithm was conceived to provide consistent service.

RESULTS:

The program operated for approximately 4 months, engaging 1396 medical students and 133 physicians. In total, 111,965 individuals residing in 343 municipalities used this service. Almost 70,000 individuals were advised to stay at home, and they received guidance to avoid disease transmission, potentially contributing to localized reductions in the spread of COVID-19. Additionally, the program promoted citizenship education for medical students, who were engaged in a real-life opportunity to fight the pandemic within their own communities. The objectives of the education, organization, and assistance domains of the Telecoronavirus program were successfully achieved according to the results of a web-based post-project survey that assessed physicians' and students' perceptions.

CONCLUSIONS:

In a prolonged pandemic scenario, a combination of remote tools and medical supervision via telehealth services may constitute a useful strategy for maintaining social distancing measures while preserving some practical aspects of medical education. A low-cost tool such as the Telecoronavirus program could be especially valuable in resource-limited health care scenarios, in addition to offering support for epidemiological surveillance actions.
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Full text: Available Collection: International databases Database: MEDLINE Main subject: Students, Medical / Telemedicine / Education, Medical / COVID-19 Type of study: Case report / Observational study / Prognostic study Limits: Humans Country/Region as subject: South America / Brazil Language: English Journal: JMIR Public Health Surveill Year: 2021 Document Type: Article Affiliation country: 24795

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Full text: Available Collection: International databases Database: MEDLINE Main subject: Students, Medical / Telemedicine / Education, Medical / COVID-19 Type of study: Case report / Observational study / Prognostic study Limits: Humans Country/Region as subject: South America / Brazil Language: English Journal: JMIR Public Health Surveill Year: 2021 Document Type: Article Affiliation country: 24795