The COVID-19 health emergency, which has been ongoing for more than a year, led to the implementation of new telemedicine programs in several public sector hospitals in the country during this time.
Dr. Eduardo Rivero Sigarroa, chief of the Intensive Care Unit of the National Institute of Medical Sciences and Nutrition Salvador Zubirán (INCMNSZ), reported during the evening conference of the Federal Health Secretariat (SSa) the technological advances that have occurred during the pandemic in public sector hospitals.
Rivero Sigarroa explained that telemedicine has allowed specialists to exchange ideas and knowledge on how to treat patients in the best possible way, thanks to the conjunction of various experts in the field.
The also associate professor of critical nutrition medicine, explained that from his personal experience he has observed the advance of monitoring through mobile devices: "At the institute I can see on my tablet all the intensive care beds and their monitors simultaneously to be able to help my team in case they have any doubts that they think I can be useful," he explained.
Through a collaborative program between the SSa, the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), the INCMNSZ and the Institute of Health for Wellbeing (INSABI) developed a distance learning platform that allowed training and information exchange with health services from different states of the Republic, in front line hospitals against COVID-19, specifically health centers that are responsible for the initial detection of patients. That subsequently in case of requiring specialized care are channeled to hospitals that have the professionals and resources required. "We were able to interact in a system that we call the basic foundations of the critical patient with COVID," he explained.
INSABI was an important part of the interconsultations between specialists and COVID hospitals to improve the treatment of critical patients, Dr. Rivero Sigarroa explained at the conference. Also, during the pandemic, especially at the beginning, the use of simulators to train professionals in the use of ventilators and the necessary procedures to treat a COVID patient has been important.
The head of the INCMNSZ Intensive Care Unit explained details of the distance education program through the COVIDUTI platform, developed by the SSa in conjunction with INSABI. In the development of the remote education processes, they had the support of the Tec de Monterrey and the University of Toronto.
Thanks to this platform, INCMNSZ was able to offer a training program to health professionals of the Mexico City Ministry of Health through both online and hybrid models.
SECRETARIAT OF HEALTH/YOUTUBE
