Background: To describe a on line-second opinion consultation system (SOC) in a telemedicine program (TP) for public hospitals in Argentina (PHA). Methods: A TP for physicians and nurses (HCW) of PHA was started in April 2002. At each PHA, the TP designates a local medical coordinator, an administrative assistant and provides a computer and Internet connection. A specially designed secure website gives HCW free access to medical education (ME) and SOC. SOC have been designed as a complement to ME but their main purpose is to provide rapid access to experts’ opinion on complex medical situations. SOC presented by HCW are received by the local TP coordinator, who replies or transfers SOC to the TP headquarters, to be evaluated by the TP Area Directors, who can reply, ask for additional information, or direct the SOC to an external consultant. Results: Up to 10/31/09, 13.989 HCW (6.150 physicians, 5.846 nurses and 1.993 others) from 50 PHA have received ME and access to SOC in our TP. A total of 9.028 SOC have been processed in the period: 3.204 (35.4%) on pediatricians (P), 1.651 (18%) on perinatologist (Pe) and 3.192 (35.3%) on adults (A). Average reply time is 37 hs. Most frecuents topics in SOC about P deal with vaccines, use of antibiotics, HIV, infection control, pneumonia; skin and soft tissue infections, inmunocompromised host, TB, chickenpox; in A: HIV, bone and joint infections, non-HIV inmunocompromised host infections, severe inmfectious diseases from tthe comunity; skin and soft tissue infections, epidemiologic questions, CNS infections, antibiotics and in Pe: sepsis, epidemiology, nosocomial infections, fever in the newborn, antibiotcs, syphilis, toxoplasmosis, puerperal infections, exposure to infections, antibiotics, early membrane rupture and preterm pregnancy. Conclusion: Our TP has organized a network of HCW at PHA actively engaged in scientific knowledge exchange, and SOC prove to be an effective tool as a complement to ME and to help HCW solve complex medical situations locally. Abstracts for SupplementInternational Journal of Infectious DiseasesVol. 14Preview Full-Text PDF Open Archive