The first remote ultrasonography in Chile has been performed in an effort to position the country as a leader in the use of technologies to improve equitable access to health services.
In a pioneering exercise in Chile, a doctor performed a remote ultrasound using a wireless control, which allowed him develop the examination and direct the movements of the device thanks to 5G technology. On the other side, there was a pregnant patient accompanied by a paramedic holding a sensorized glove.
This is one of the first examples in Latin America where a health professional provides services breaking the barriers of distance, and can be in contact with a patient without anyone having to move from their location.
This is how health experts will be able to attend cases throughout the country and patients will benefit from better consults that optimize costs, time and resources.
5G technology is the fifth generation of mobile internet connectivity, characterized by being a high-speed network, with great data transmission capacity and greater connectivity. In Chile, the future of this technology “must work to improve, in an important way, the equity of access to diagnostic services, quality treatment, telepathology, teleradiology, clinical meetings, and everything that could mean an improvement in the health of people, especially the most delayed”, said Health Minister Jaime Mañalich.
The capacity of the 5G network is up to 100 times greater than 4G, which is currently used in most countries. In addition, the latency, understood as the time it takes to transmit a packet of data, will be much less, promising a maximum latency of 4 milliseconds. In this way, it will be possible to download medical tutorials in seconds and work with streaming, or telemedicine services, immediately. The Chilean Ministry of Health has placed its trust in this new development to achieve a significant closure in the health gap that exists in the country and in that way give an example of how Digital Health can transform a nation.
