The new initiative, based on open-source technology and being developed in 2022, will have a pilot test in Trinidad and Tobago and then plans to expand to the Bahamas, Suriname, Dominica, El Salvador, Honduras, Peru, Uruguay, Panama and Nicaragua . .
Developed by the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), it will make telemedicine the “new normal” for health workers and those treating chronic conditions, the outlet added.
“The goal of the platform is to improve patient outreach and follow-up, with a focus on continuity of care for people living with noncommunicable diseases (NCDs),” the United Nations health agency said.
Sebastián García Saiso, Director of the PAHO Division of Evidence and Intelligence for Health Actions, explained that since they are chronic, they require constant attention and their deterioration, if left unchecked, entails a huge bill for individuals and their families can.
NCDs are the leading cause of death and disability worldwide, accounting for 71 percent of deaths worldwide.
In the Americas, they are responsible for 5.5 million deaths, including cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and chronic lung disease.
The platform can help diabetics or hypertensive patients control and monitor their illness, PAHO said, adding that it allows health workers in remote locations to “pre-triage” to refer patients before making the necessary travel take to a clinic.
“The installation of the platform at key reference points will transform the lives of those who historically have not had access to health monitoring when they need it most,” said Marcelo D’Agostino, PAHO Senior Advisor for Information Systems and Digital Health.
The new initiative integrates applications such as instant messaging, chatbots, patient records and digital prescriptions. In addition, you can send a notification when a patient’s test results fall outside the normal range.
“Since the Covid-19 pandemic, both patients and healthcare professionals have become more willing to take advantage of the benefits of telemedicine,” said Erica Wheeler, PAHO representative in Trinidad and Tobago.
By improving universal access to health, the platform should be available as a public good for all nations in Latin America and the Caribbean to benefit from, the United Nations health agency estimated.
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