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0800 HOTLINE: TELECONSULTATIONS ON REAL TIME TO SUPPORT PRIMARY CARE PHYSICIANS OF BRAZIL.

Milena Rodrigues Agostinho 1 ; DIMITRIS RUCKS VARVAKI RADOS 2 ; ELISE BOTTESELLE DE OLIVEIRA 2 ; ERNO HARZHEIM 2 ; NATAN KATZ 2
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Introduction and objectives: Teleconsultations in clinical setting can help decision-making process and also provide an education environment. TelessaúdeRS intends to qualify the practice of primary health care (PHC) professionals supporting clinical and managerial decision through information and communication technologies. A toll-free phone (0800 hotline) was created and is available to all PHC nurses and physicians of Brazil. This paper shows the distribution and the most common physician’s questions. Methods: Physicians access 0800 hotline from Monday to Friday and discuss with a teleconsulting physician. The answers are made in real time, based on the best scientific evidence, adapted to local needs. Distribution of teleconsultations throughout the country is shown by region and the questions were classified according to International Classification of Primary Care (ICPC-2). Results: From March 2013 to January 2016, there have been 25622 teleconsultations distributed according to regions: South(54%), Southeast(20%), Midwest(9,3 %) Northeast(14,5%) and North(2,2%). Among those who answered the satisfaction survey, 99,1% were satisfied or very satisfied, and 70% of teleconsultations avoided a referral when it was the physician intention (avoidance by region: South(63%), Southeast(76%), Midwest(88%), Northeast(75,5%) and North(82%)). The most common questions were about: Diabetes non-insulin dependent(T90), Hypertension uncomplicated(K86), Hypothyroidism/myxedema(T86), Diabetes insulin dependent(T89), Pregnancy(W78), Cystitis/urinary infection(U71), Skin disease(S99), Infectious disease other(A78), Hyperthyroidism/thyrotoxicosis(T85) and Syphilis female(X70). Conclusion: The 0800 hotline was accessed by physicians from the 5 regions of Brazil and had a high satisfaction score. Teleconsultations could prevent unnecessary referrals to specialized services and identified the most common subjects to organize a professional education program.