An integrative telehealth platform managed by nurses

• Published in: BMC research notes 2022-09, Vol.15 (1), p.1-301, Article 301
• Main Authors: de Moraes, Vinícius Ynoe, Ferreira, César Biselli, Kawagoe, Camila Kaory, Gushken, Fernanda, Azevedo, Guilherme, Ferretti Filho, Mário
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Chat rooms; Complaints; Data analysis; Electronic health records; Emergency medical care; Emergency medical services; Evidence-based medicine; Health care; Health insurance; Methods; Mobile health applications; Nurses; Pandemics; Patient satisfaction; Primary care; Primary health care; Research Note; Respiratory tract; Services; Technology application; Telehealth; Telemedicine
• ISSN: 1756-0500; 1756-0500
• DOI: 10.1186/s13104-022-06197-8

Our aim was to assess the feasibility and preliminary results of implementing a telehealth system, Alice Agora, as a tool for optimizing health delivery in a new primary care-based health system. We had 4193 consultations over the last 6 months (February and August 2021). Preliminary results show patients high level of satisfaction (Consumer satisfaction score of 4.92). The chief complaints were related to upper respiratory tract (n = 1542; 28.5%), gastrointestinal (n = 781; 14.43%), musculoskeletal (n = 607; 11.22%), and other (n = 643; 11.88%). We found that 20.1% (842) of the cases were solved digitally, that is, by a chat only with a nurse, through the use of health protocols, and 43.9% were solved by nurses with medical assistance. Only 6.6% (277) of the cases had to be referred to the emergency room (ER). This means that 64% of the cases were completely resolved by our nurses-driven system. Forty-eight hours readmission rates were higher for the uncoordinated ER cases compared with the coordinated cases (14.81% vs. 5.87%; p = 0.016). The same pattern was observed for the 72-h readmission rates (16.67 vs. 7.26%; p = 0.02).