TELEMEDICINE AS AN AUXILIARY TOOL IN PRE-HOSPITAL EMERGENCY CARE

Abstract

Introduction: Telemedicine has emerged as a promising tool for pre-hospital emergency care. However, the implementation and effectiveness of telemedicine in this context are still areas of ongoing study, with a need to evaluate its applicability in various emergency scenarios.Objective: To identify and analyze the use of telemedicine as an auxiliary tool in pre-hospital emergency care.Methodology: An integrative literature review was conducted using the search platforms Medical Publisher (PUBMED), Biblioteca Virtual em Saúde (BVS), and Scientific Electronic Library Online (SCIELO), utilizing Health Science Descriptors (DeCS) in English combined with the boolean operator "AND": “Telemedicine,” “Emergency,” and “Support.” A total of 24 studies were identified, and after applying exclusion criteria, 6 relevant studies were selected.Results: The analysis of the studies revealed that telemedicine can be effective in improving pre-hospital emergency care, particularly in remote areas where immediate access to specialists is limited. Evidence indicates that telemedicine use reduces response times for critical interventions and assists in informed decision-making, leading to better clinical outcomes. However, challenges such as the need for adequate infrastructure, team training, and data security issues still need to be addressed.Conclusion: Telemedicine shows significant potential as an auxiliary tool in pre-hospital emergency care, contributing to increased efficiency and quality of care. However, successful implementation depends on overcoming technological and operational challenges.