Evolution of telemedicine in Peru and other Latin American countries

Abstract

Introduction: Many people are unaware of new health strategies such as telemedicine (TM), which has been developed long ago by first world countries and recently in Latin America; its implementation allows better access to medical consultations, especially for users who live in remote areas, difficult access or that it is an imminent contagion as in the case of covid-19, where users demand immediate attention; these being cases in which determines the drawbacks and advances to provide new methods of health services such as TM. Objective: To determine the evolution of the TM through the implementation of standards in the health sector to develop it in effectively and efficiently in Peru and Latin American countries. Materials and methods: Using computer equipment, a qualitative exploratory research was carried out, through the review of Peruvian regulations and scientific articles published in the Scielo database, Pubmed, Elsevier, Google Scholar and observation. Results: It is appreciated that in Peru health standards were implemented for improve the TM more and more through the use of Information Technology and the Communication (ICT), evidencing a great advance in TM from the year 2020, with the purpose of mitigating the covid-19 pandemic in the same way that it happened in other Latin American countries. However, the results were not expected due to the low budget allocated, failures in computer networks and due to the patient's ignorance. Conclusions: MT in Peru and in the countries of Latin America has evolved significantly thanks to the use of ICT; without However, optimal administrative management is still lacking, which makes TM difficult timely and efficient.