Telehealth in the Amazon Region in Latin America: an Overview

Abstract

Purpose: This paper describes the current status of telehealth in the Latin American Amazon and displays the result of a distance course on malaria, focused on physicians and healthcare professionals from nine countries of the Amazon region. Methods: Data were collected on telehealth implementation and course participation for the following countries in the Amazon region: Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela and Bolivia. Results: There are 808 Municipalities in the Amazon region. Over half (51.9%) of the Municipalities have implemented or are implementing telehealth projects in the region. Among these 6 countries, Brazil has the highest percentage of municipalities with telehealth projects implemented (498 of 808, 61,6%;), Venezuela  (38 of 91, 41.7%) and  following by Bolivia  (5 of 39; 12,8%). Participation in the distance course on malaria has included 868 students: Brazil, 291 participants (33.5%); Bolivia, 28 (3.2%); Colombia, 104 (12.0%); Ecuador, 52 (6.0%); Guyana, 2 (0.2%); Paraguay 1 (0.1%), 270 Peru (31,1%); 102 Venezuela (11.8%) and others (2.1%). Nearly all ( 99.1%) of learners would recommend the course to colleagues. Conclusion: Shared action between countries is an important framework that can lead to incorporation of telehealth resources and training for a common, remote setting, as exemplified by international activities in the Amazon region.