Health Technology Research in Brazil
Anais Online do "Health Technology Research in Brazil: Challenges for the New Decade"

Introduction: In the field of telecardiology, the transmission of electrocardiograms (ECG) through remote health services or in ambulances to an assessment center has been carried out to address the Acute Coronary Syndrome (ACS). However, to use image telediagnosis, especially telecardiology, human, material and financial resources are required to set up health services with an adequate structure to meet the needs of the population, making it important to carry out studies that demonstrate the available scientific evidence on telediagnosis by image compared to conventional practice. Thus, it was proposed to prepare a technical-scientific opinion in order to evaluate the available scientific evidence on telecardiology (electrocardiogram exams) compared to conventional practice. Material and Method: A search was performed on April 8, 2017 in the databases The Cochrane Library, EMBASE, Medline via PubMed and Latin American and Caribbean Literature in Health Sciences (LILACS). Studies of Systematic Reviews, with or without meta-analyzes, Randomized Clinical Trials (RCT) and Observational Studies were included. There was no language restriction. The year of publication of the researched articles was from 1980. The results of the databases were grouped and studies in duplicates were eliminated. Then, the eligibility criteria for titles and abstracts were applied, leaving 59 studies for full reading. After reading the articles in full, 09 studies were selected. Results: 09 papers were selected from the electronic databases. Basically, telecardiology studies have benefits in favor of technology for diagnostic accuracy, diagnostic time and treatment and mortality in patients with acute ST segment elevation myocardial infarction. An economic analysis study to evaluate the cost-benefit of implementing the new technology was included, indicating advantages for the new technology. Conclusion: It can be concluded that there are benefits in favor of telecardiology for diagnostic accuracy, diagnostic time, treatment and mortality in patients with acute myocardial infarction with ST-segment elevation. However, studies have low quality of evidence for diagnostic accuracy with transmission of ECG photography and ECG signal for suspected acute myocardial infarction with ST-segment elevation and mortality, indicating the need for further research with higher quality of evidence.