Educação médica em telemedicina durante a pandemia da Covid-19

Abstract

The aim of this work is to demonstrate the effectiveness of a medical undergraduate educational program, Mais Saúde em Casa, specifically to provide quality education on telemedicine and care of suspect Covid-19 cases. Added to the exponential growth of telemedicine on recent decades, this tool has become extremely useful, increasing in importance in the current health scenario. The Covid-19 pandemic, a viral disease with high person-to-person transmission requires social distance and has pressured health care demands. Telemedicine further the health care access to disadvantaged populations, been their socioeconomically and regionally disadvantaged, and in addition it reduces transportation costs and people movement. This unprecedented and urgent sanitary situation was also responsible for a great impact on medical education, leading to the suspension of face-to-face meetings and curricular structures reformulation. New teaching methodologies that provide practical safe activities are needed. Health professionals and students are facing this problem, which becomes an opportunity to undergraduate medical students work in telemedicine, supervised by faculties. At this context, a group from the Federal University of Lavras (UFLA) started a program to fight Covid-19, the Mais Saúde em Casa Program, by developing a platform for patients with flu-like illness teleassistance, carried out by students. This program aimed medical education ion telehealth skills and care for patients with flu syndrome, to then certifies that such competences were acquired. So, a single group evaluation research was conducted, according to the 1, 2 and 4 levels of new Kirkpatrick methodology. Reaction, learning and results obtained with the program were evaluated, based on information collected through the questionnaire applied to the students, who’s participated on project, and data analysis of the assistance provided. Fifty-six students participated in the program and fifty (89%) answered the questionnaire. The results showed high average scores regarding the degree of student satisfaction with the program and the degree of confidence and commitment to using telemedicine in the future. It indicated also significantly higher post-test results on the acquisition of knowledge and skills in telemedicine and patient care with Covid-19. Besides that, it changed the local health context, once to attend real patients and directing them in a safer way to face-to-face services when necessary. It is estimated that the program was able to provide a robust and effective educational experience for students. It is expected that the research can promote subsidies to demonstrate the impact of educational programs within specific health contexts, such as epidemics of highly transmissible diseases, as well as effectiveness in acquiring the necessary skills for undergraduate students on telemedicine. It can be also useful for other situations, such as the care of socioeconomically vulnerable populations or regions with low availability of care in medical specialties, through the opportune offer of teleservice programs.