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According to the iMedicina company in Belo Horizonte, which launched an online consultation tool, the State concentrates between 15% and 20% of the consultations carried out in the country.
Virtual medical consultations have been an alternative for professionals and patients during the coronavirus pandemic. Known as telemedicine, the practice was regulated by the Ministry of Health in March, and since then the format has gained popularity. In this scenario, Minas Gerais already appears as the third state with the highest number of inquiries in Brazil, behind São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro.
The estimate is from the company iMedicina, from Belo Horizonte, which launched a tool in April so that consultations can be carried out remotely. The platform, which already serves doctors in 22 states and the Federal District, concentrates between 15% and 20% of services only in the territory of Minas Gerais. “If we analyze the entire country, the southeast region is traditionally the most open to technology in medicine, and this is very good. It is a reflection of competition in the region ”, explains Caroline Paiva, iMedicina operations coordinator.
Despite not disclosing the total number of visits in Brazil, he notes that currently 10,000 health professionals are already registered on the platform. In the case of Minas, according to Caroline, the most sought-after specialties are pediatrics, psychiatry and general practice. “In Belo Horizonte, the highest incidence is people in pediatrics, endocrinology, dermatology and general practice, which are specialties where there is more frequent routine care,” he explained.
The greater search for pediatrics is justified, according to her, by the fact that children spend more time at home during the period of social isolation, which increases the parents’ doubts. “Psychiatry and psychology are two areas in which, unfortunately, we grew up due to the disorders caused by the pandemic itself. And in general practice, you can get a broader range of care from patients who have concerns and did not necessarily need urgent care, ”he notes.
The objective is to reach 50 thousand professionals registered on the platform in the next two months. “The medical profession has realized, even those who had some resistance, that this service, more than ever, is an ally. Using the format has many benefits in stopping disease progression and allowing routine care to continue, in addition to supporting patients who need medical care at this time. “
Consultations in iMedicina can be done through health insurance or through a private consultation. However, it is the doctor who is responsible for including the patient in the format; that is, a person cannot simply access the platform and schedule an online consultation, and it is necessary that they are already a patient of a health professional who adheres to the tool, that is, included in the system.
Depression and anxiety disorders.
Psychiatrist Conrado Pires, who works in São João Del Rei, in the Zona da Mata, says he has kept 15% of the average number of consultations he used to do before the start of the pandemic. Most of the cases he has been treating, during the period of social isolation, are from people with anxiety disorders and depression. However, he explains that these diseases, for the moment, are not yet related to the psychological impacts caused by the pandemic and, therefore, are pre-existing problems before isolation.
“What I imagine is that now, if the person returns to the normal routine, these (disorders) will become more evident. Most people are at home, protected, but when they have to go back to routine, the problem may arise: it is the fear of contamination, insecurity and fear of death, “he said. About 30% of consultations he has carried out are new patients, and the specialist has seen people from other regions, such as the north and northeast.
At the national level, according to iMedicina, one of the most sought-after specialties is neurology. “I have been making new calls. They are people who had pre-existing problems and could not schedule (a face-to-face consultation) due to the pandemic problem, and as they saw that things were happening, they ended up programming by teleconsultation, “explained Gabriela Pimentel, a neurologist who works in the city of São Paulo
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