O emprego da telemedicina nas ações cívico-sociais: desafios e oportunidades

Abstract

The Brazilian Navy plays a strategic role, going beyond national defense, acting in actions of presence and social support. Recognizing Brazil's maritime vocation with its extensive coastline and Exclusive Economic Zone, the Navy is dedicated to protecting the country's sovereignty, natural resources and population, including those living in remote and hard-to-reach regions. This study set out to identify the factors that may influence the use of telemedicine in Civic Social Actions, by analyzing the feasibility of implementing telemedicine in these actions, as well as discussing the contributions of using this technology to improve health care for geographically isolated populations and reduce the mobilization of health professionals. Telemedicine is presented as a tool capable of overcoming geographical barriers, enabling equitable access to health and strengthening primary care in those regions. The methodology used was a bibliographical, qualitative and exploratory study. The study was structured in sections, and dealt sequentially with the subsidiary attributions of the Armed Forces; the advantages and challenges of using telemedicine to democratize access to health services; the integration of the operational capacity of the Brazilian Navy and the potential of telemedicine to reach geographically isolated communities and reduce costs. It was concluded that providing health care at a distance can bring dignity and guarantee the right to health for geographically isolated populations, minimizing the need for costly and time-consuming travel, as telemedicine allows specialists who are not physically present to offer diagnoses, monitoring and guidance, qualifying care and guaranteeing complete assistance.