APPLICATION FOR TELEINTERCONSULTATION IN STOMATOLOGY IN PARAÍBA: A VALUABLE TOOL FOR SUS

Abstract

The use of teleinterconsultation is a useful tool when access to specialized services is limited. The objective of the study was to analyze the impact of using Teleinterconsulta em Estomatologia na Paraíba (App), focusing on dentists on SUS at our state. This is a retrospective, cross-sectional, observational, exploratory-descriptive study using quantitative methods. As an information collection strategy, the spreadsheet generated by the tool was analyzed between May 2020 and April 2021. The app has 16 consultants, 207 registered professionals, 65 (31.4%) of whom are male and 142 (68.6%) female, with 59 (28.5%) concentrated in the city of João Pessoa, Paraíba, and 138 (66.6%) distributed over 67 municipalities in Paraíba. It has 123 reported cases, which corresponds to an average of about 10 cases per month. For this number, 56 diagnostic hypotheses were given, including eight suspected squamous cell carcinoma. Regarding the hypotheses given by the contacting dentists and consultants, 72 (58.5%) were in agreement and 51 (41.4%) were in disagreement. It can be seen that the app is being used in various parts of the state, with the adhesion of SUS professionals in Paraíba and useful in aiding the diagnosis of maxillofacial lesions. The use of teleinterconsultation is a useful tool when access to specialized services is limited. The objective of the study was to analyze the impact of using Teleinterconsulta em Estomatologia na Paraíba (App), focusing on dentists on SUS at our state. This is a retrospective, cross-sectional, observational, exploratory-descriptive study using quantitative methods. As an information collection strategy, the spreadsheet generated by the tool was analyzed between May 2020 and April 2021. The app has 16 consultants, 207 registered professionals, 65 (31.4%) of whom are male and 142 (68.6%) female, with 59 (28.5%) concentrated in the city of João Pessoa, Paraíba, and 138 (66.6%) distributed over 67 municipalities in Paraíba. It has 123 reported cases, which corresponds to an average of about 10 cases per month. For this number, 56 diagnostic hypotheses were given, including eight suspected squamous cell carcinoma. Regarding the hypotheses given by the contacting dentists and consultants, 72 (58.5%) were in agreement and 51 (41.4%) were in disagreement. It can be seen that the app is being used in various parts of the state, with the adhesion of SUS professionals in Paraíba and useful in aiding the diagnosis of maxillofacial lesions.