Schedule routine exams, see doctors regularly and maintain healthy habits. All these activities should be permanent in order to maintain our quality of life and avoid surprises in personal and family health. However, this routine was interrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic, which overloaded health systems so that routine visits were postponed. The problem is that, even following vaccination, many people still haven’t been able to, or even prioritized, resuming their regular visits to the doctor.
At the end of last year, the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz) carried out a survey that denounced the serious impact of the pandemic on the treatment and diagnosis of other diseases. From 2020 to 2022, more than one million hospital procedures were suspended in the SUS (Single Health System) alone. Among the interventions most affected are skin and breast surgeries, nephrology treatment and medical consultations. Other serious illnesses in which early diagnosis is essential were also affected, such as breast cancer. According to the Panorama of Care for Breast Cancer, which evaluated detection procedures between 2015 and 2021, the country reached only 17% of mammographic coverage, and the recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) is 70%. With the cases of Covid more under control thanks to vaccination, it is important to seize the moment to return to the pre-pandemic routine and avoid the advance of other evils that plague society with a powerful solution: early diagnosis.
Thanks to technological advances in imaging medicine, health professionals are able to detect diseases in advance and increase the chances of cure for patients. Over the decades, the development of devices and solutions has been fundamental in the treatment of people at different stages of life. An example is the evolution of Artificial Intelligence (AI) which, implemented in ultrasound systems, uses image fusion and manages to unite the results of an MRI with the real-time visualization of the ultrasound system to generate greater assertiveness in biopsy procedures guided.
Another advance that became popular during the pandemic was telemedicine, a more dynamic method of action among health professionals, in which even devices were created for real-time monitoring of exams between doctors, even if they are in different locations. Online consultations have also become a good alternative, bringing more convenience to patients who prefer or cannot leave their homes. According to data from the TIC Saúde survey, 33% of physicians consulted remotely.
Technology has indeed facilitated and improved several health care processes, but awareness and prevention campaigns are essential so that pre-pandemic routines, which include check-up programs, elective consultations and exams, can return to normal levels. recommended.
