ArticleBMC health services research2021
Telehealth to support referral management in a universal health system: a before-and-after study.
Article in BMC health services research, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 13 papers.
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Who cites it
13 citing papers in PubMed.
- Addressing inequalities in the primary and secondary outpatient interface: A policy-focused evidence brief.Public health in practice (Oxford, England) · 2026Article
- Teledentistry for Homebound and Institutionalized Older Adults: A Rapid Review for Its Potential Use in Primary Healthcare.Public health challenges · 2026Review
- Dissecting medical referrals in health services: role of physician professional networks.BMC health services research · 2026Article
- Access to specialized outpatiecare: an analysis of regulation in Brazilian settings.Revista de saude publica · 2026Article
- Optimizing people's movement across the health system: a scoping review of referral systems within a primary health care approach.Primary health care research & development · 2025Article
- Telehealth Initiative to Enhance Primary Care Access in Brazil (UBS+Digital Project): Multicenter Prospective Study.Journal of medical Internet research · 2025Article
- Strategic interventions and a novel model for the integration of community pharmacy and primary care in Spain: qualitative insights.BMJ open · 2024Article
- Digitally-mediated coordination in healthcare: the effects of teleconsultation on doctor-to-doctor relational coordination.BMC health services research · 2024Article
- Factors Associated with Avoiding Referrals by Dental Teleconsulting Sessions in Brazil.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2023Article
- Pancreatic Cystic Neoplasms: Diagnosis and Management.Diagnostics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Review
- Evaluating Efficiency of a Provincial Telerehabilitation Service in Improving Access to Care During the COVID-19 Pandemic.International journal of telerehabilitation · 2023Article
- Identification of the factors affecting the referral system of veterans' health services: A scoping review.Journal of education and health promotion · 2023Article
- [Assessment of the implementation of an care teleregulation project in a Brazilian capital city].Cadernos de saude publica · 2023Article
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Authors and funding
13 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundManagement of patient flow within a healthcare network, allowing equitable and qualified access to healthcare, is a major challenge for universal health systems. Implementation of telehealth strategies to support referral management has been shown to increase primary care resolution and to promote coordination of care. The objective of this study was to assess the impact of telehealth strategies on waiting lists and waiting times for specialized care in Brazil.
methodsBefore-and-after study with measures obtained between January 2019 and February 2020. Baseline measurements of waiting lists were obtained immediately before the implementation of a remotely operated referral management system. Post-interventional measurements were obtained monthly, up to six months after the beginning of operation. Data was extracted from the database of the project. General linear models were applied to assess interaction of locality and time over number of cases on waiting lists and waiting times.
resultsAt baseline, the median number of cases on waiting lists ranged from 2961 to 12,305 cases. Reductions of the number of cases on waiting lists after six months of operation were observed in all localities. The magnitude of the reduction ranged from 54.67 to 88.97 %. Interaction of time measurements was statistically significant from the second month onward. Median waiting times ranged from 159 to 241 days at baseline. After six months, there was a decrease of 100 and 114 waiting days in two localities, respectively, with reduction of waiting times only for high-risk cases in the third locality.
conclusionsAdoption of telehealth strategies resulted in the reduction of number of cases on waiting lists. Results were consistent across localities, suggesting that telehealth interventions are viable in diverse settings.
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