Introduction
The digital transformation of the health sector in the Region of the Americas has driven the use of telehealth as a key strategy to expand access, improve continuity of care, and reduce territorial and social gaps in access to health services. The Roadmap for the Digital Transformation of the Health Sector and the Action Plan to Strengthen Information Systems for Health 2024–2030 highlight the importance of having telehealth services that are integrated into health information systems, secure, interoperable, and people-centered.
Telehealth is part of the broader digital health framework, which includes the use of information and communication technologies, electronic health records, health information systems, data science, and artificial intelligence, with the aim of improving the quality, efficiency, equity, and timeliness of care.
However, progress across the Region is heterogeneous. Countries and territories with consolidated telemedicine and telerehabilitation networks coexist with others that are still in early design or pilot stages. Persistent gaps remain in connectivity, technical capacity, sustainable financing, and clear regulatory frameworks to ensure patient safety, personal data protection, and the quality of care delivered remotely.
Objective
To strengthen the competencies of health personnel and technical and management teams to plan, coordinate, and implement telehealth services efficiently, safely, and equitably, within the framework of PAHO’s digital health transformation policies and strategies.
By the end of the cycle, participants should be able to:
- Recognize the key concepts, definitions, and components of telehealth within the digital health framework and PAHO’s regional mandates.
- Identify telehealth models, areas of work, and technical cooperation lines promoted in the Region of the Americas, and their articulation with health information systems.
- Analyze the strategic role of university and academic networks, as well as telemedicine networks, in the development, scaling, and sustainability of telehealth programs.
- Recognize criteria and recommendations for the efficient and safe use of telehealth, including organizational, regulatory, quality-of-care, personal data protection, and equity-of-access aspects.
Target Audience
This cycle is intended for:
- Health professionals from primary, secondary, and tertiary levels of care who participate or will participate in telehealth initiatives (telemedicine, teleorientation, telerehabilitation, tele-ICU, etc.).
- National and subnational focal points for digital health, telehealth, and health information systems.
- Technical teams from ministries of health, social security institutions, and service delivery networks that design, implement, or manage telehealth services.
- Professionals in teaching, research, and continuing education interested in the articulation between telehealth, university networks, and capacity development.
- Other key stakeholders involved in the governance, financing, regulation, and evaluation of telehealth initiatives in the Region of the Americas.
Learning Path and Methodology
The cycle is structured around three articulated components, a selection of recommended readings, and four evaluation instances:
1. Audiovisual content
Webinar 1: Telehealth implementation models.
Webinar 2: Strategic role of university networks in the future of telehealth.
Webinar 3: Efficient and safe use of telehealth in health systems and services.
2. Recommended readings
Duration
- 3 hours of synchronous webinars (3 × 60 minutes).
- Approximately 2 hours for reading materials and completion of the final evaluation
Evaluation
The cycle is completed through four evaluations: one corresponding to each webinar and one associated with the readings. To successfully complete and pass the cycle, participants must pass all four evaluation instances. Each evaluation allows up to three attempts and consists of multiple-choice, True/False, and matching questions.
Certification
A digital certificate of participation will be issued by PAHO’s Virtual Campus for Public Health (VCPH) upon completion of the learning cycle and all evaluation instruments.
To obtain certification for the cycle, participants must:
- View all webinars included in the cycle.
- Complete the proposed activities (readings and/or exercises).
- Pass the final evaluation.
- Download their certificate.