Objective
To assess the usage of services provided by the State of Maranhão Telehealth Program, Brazil, as a tool to support continuing health education for primary care workers.
Method
This quantitative, descriptive study used data from the Brazilian National Telehealth Platform for the years 2015 and 2016. To assess teleconsultations requested by municipalities and health care units in the state of Maranhão, the monthly system usage rate and the mean monthly request rate per municipality and primary health care unit were calculated. Teleconsultations were described regarding the requester’s profession, most frequent topics, satisfaction with the response provided, and resolvability of responses. Tele-education activities were classified according to the number of computers and users logged into the activity.
Results
From January 2015 to December 2016, 13 976 teleconsultations were provided, requested by 47 municipalities. Most municipalities were small (up to 40 thousand residents) and had low municipal human development index (0.512 to 0.768). The mean overall usage rate and the monthly usage rate by municipality and unit were higher than those reported in the literature. Nurses and community health agents were the most active requesters. Of the users who completed the optional evaluation, over 80% stated that their question was answered.
Conclusions
The usage indicators for the state of Maranhão Telehealth Program were more positive than those reported by other telehealth services in Brazil and abroad. This indicates that the Program is sustainable, with good potential to support primary care and be used as a tool for continuing health education.