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Scope and limitations of teleconsultation during the covid-19 pandemic: accounts from primary healthcare professionals in the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires
María de las Nieves Ganiele
Physician. Researcher, teacher, Hospital Italiano de Buenos Aires, Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, Argentina.
,
Mariela Alejandra Weisbrot
Master in Epidemiology, Management and Health Policies. Researcher, lecturer, Hospital Italiano de Buenos Aires, Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, Argentina.
,
Andrea Melissa Sian
Medical Student, Instituto Universitario Hospital Italiano de Buenos Aires, Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, Argentina.
,
Julieta Milagros Carosella Reboredo
Medical Student, Instituto Universitario Hospital Italiano de Buenos Aires, Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, Argentina.
,
María Victoria Weisbrot
Sociologist. Researcher, project manager, Instituto Universitario Hospital Italiano de Buenos Aires, Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, Argentina.
,
María Florencia Grande Ratti
PhD in Health Sciences. Researcher, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Professor, Instituto Universitario Hospital Italiano de Buenos Aires, Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Received:
24 July 2023,
Accepted:
19 January 2024,
Published:
16 February 2024
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Abstract
The aim was to explore the scope and limitations of teleconsultation during the pandemic from the perspective of primary care physicians at the Hospital Italiano de Buenos Aires, a private institution located in the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires. A qualitative study was conducted with ten individual semi-structured interviews between January and April 2022. The three major emerging topics were the transition to virtuality, accessibility, and the new care model. Obstacles were related to the massive, forced, and unplanned implementation of teleconsultations. The main benefits included providing care during isolation-distancing and addressing epidemiological doubts. Changes were highlighted in care strategies, consultation frameworks, exchange among colleagues, referral criteria, requests for complementary studies, and in the profiles of those seeking consultations. A misuse of the system by individuals and a trivialization of the consultation moment emerged. The rise of communication and information technologies undoubtedly allowed the continuity of healthcare processes, but it does not replace in-person care, and normative guidelines are needed for its continuity.
Keywords: Remote Consultation, Telemedicine, Primary Health Care, Argentina
Categories: Policies, Management, Healthcare models
Funding: Ministerio de Salud de la Nación
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