The Chilean government seeks to offer a patient-centered model of care taking advantage of the advances in Digital Health.
In Chile, 60% of women have never had a mammogram. That is why, breast cancer diagnoses occur mostly when the disease is in advanced stages, which is why it’s the leading cause of death among women. The Ministry of Health is trying to change this trend, and therefore, a branch of digital hospitals has been developed and it will be able to provide new technologies for the detection of various potentially lethal diseases, this project is known as Digital Hospital.
For decades, access in rural areas to emergency medical services and to these technological advances was virtually unheard of. Now, with the help of digital hospitals, it has become a reality. Digital Health paves the way for those who need it most today, to have a fast and secure entrance to quality health services.
This new generation of digital institutions is only the beginning of a new technological world, which will improve rapid access to new diagnostic and therapeutic methods so that people can take care of their health. When presenting the minor symptom, a person can undergo radiological examinations at a distance in the Digital Hospital.
In case of detecting an image that could be a cancer tumor, the patient will have almost immediate access to a biopsy to confirm his or her diagnosis and eventually undergo surgery, if necessary. This whole process becomes exponentially faster and more efficient thanks to Digital Health.
Access to specialty health services also improves, since the technology that exists today allows for a quick and efficient exchange of information. With this help, patients will not have to travel long distances to access better health or medical systems and doctors will be able to consult their file.
Following the example of first world countries (the TeleECG program in Norway and the Swinfen Charitable Trust Telemedicine Network in England), the Chilean government is making a strong investment in high quality mammography tools to put them into operation in various offices in the country. These radiological systems can send their results quickly to digital hospitals, where specialists of the highest levels can analyze them and make an appropriate diagnosis.
The system, even if it depends on several factors, could result in the early detection of cancer cases, which would avoid long illnesses and even fatalities that could have been prevented with having a timely diagnosis and adequate treatment.
Today, technological advances such as the digitalization of medical records, the transmission of online data and the systems that integrate different sectors through digital services have revolutionized the way in which health systems operate. A much wider and more diverse network of services has been created, which has allowed greater access to better care and services of the highest quality. This begins to permeate and grow in Latin America.
The new health policies aim to focus on patients and their well-being. Being able to provide access to better benefits regardless of the economic, geographical or social situation of a patient is undoubtedly a priority for the Chilean government and several other Latin American countries, which seek to bring medical aid to their most disadvantaged population.
