TELECONSULTATIONS AND VIDEOCONFERENCING AS A STRATEGY OF PERMANENT EDUCATION FOR FAMILY HEALTH CARE TEAMS

Through the use of Information and Communication Technologies, distance education exceeded the limits for the qualification of family healthcare teams through permanent education. This study aims to evaluate the existing relation between the thematic areas that are requested in the teleconsultations and the themes proposed for videoconferences conducted between January 2008 and December 2012. It is an exploratory study with a qualitative approach. Secondary data provided by the Telehealth Nucleus of a university in Minas Gerais were used. Records of 495 teleconsultations and 89 videoconferences were analyzed. The study enabled the conclusion of the approximation of the thematic areas of the doubts described in the teleconsultations with the themes proposed for the videoconferences, indicating that the professionals use Telehealth resources to discuss questions about the health care reality. The possibility of expansion of the project and its actions was evidenced.