Recent advances in technology, such as new concepts, social networking applications, IoT (Internet of Things) and AI (Artificial Intelligence) have transformed several segments in recent years, and the health sector is one of them. According to data from Startup Scanner, the number of Health Techs – as startups of this kind are called – increased by 16.1% in Brazil between 2019 and 2022.
According to the Brazilian Association of Telemedicine and Digital Health Companies, more than 7.5 million telemedicine consultations were carried out in Brazil between 2020 and 2021 alone, the year in which the modality gained greater adherence due to the Covid-19 pandemic. .
The category was regulated by the CFM (Conselho Federal de Medicina) in May last year after the publication of standards for the provision of medical services mediated by communication technologies in the DOU (Official Gazette) and are now in force.
In general terms, the so-called Digital Health comprises the use of ICT (Information and Communication Technology) resources to produce and make available reliable information about the state of health for citizens, health professionals and public managers, as defined by the Ministry of Health .
Ronnie Girardi, CEO of Conecta Saúde – a public health startup that works with telemedicine solutions – highlights that the health crisis has directly impacted the way digital health is worked today.
“During the pandemic, not only was the need for distancing observed, but also the reduction of queues, agility in consultations and, above all, the availability of professionals and patients contributed to the continuity of digital health – and it was not only in the private sector. ”, he says.
As an example, Girardi reports that Olaria (MG), a city with 1800 inhabitants in the Zona da Mata region of Minas Gerais, was the first municipality in the country to provide 100% digital health for its residents.
He says that the impact was instantaneous: today, the population is assisted by general practitioners and specialists are scheduled without the need to remove patients. As a result, digital health has generated well-being for the population and has provided savings for the city hall.
According to Girardi, telehealth platforms are among the main tools and strategies in the sector, but attention is needed, as they must be approved and present a minimum of security and compliance with the LGPD (General Law for the Protection of Personal Data). “I see many professionals using popular meeting platforms to handle sensitive data. This is not the way, ”he emphasizes.
The CEO of Conecta Saúde – which was the first public health startup to obtain a CNES (National Register of Digital Health Establishments) – states that digital health is the market of the present and that establishing standards and conducts for using the practice will be of great importance. extremely important for the future of the sector.
“Technology is the means, not the end. AI is there to help with the accuracy of diagnoses and increase the level of assertiveness for medications and personalization of treatments”, he says. “Today, we use telepresence robots for our physicians to monitor patients in other locations, making care even more agile and accurate. In a few years, the results will be incredible”, adds Girardi.
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