Impact of telemedicine in the screening for congenital heart disease in a center from northeast Brazil

Abstract

Objectives: To describe the incidence of congenital heart disease before and after the establishment of a telemedicine screening program, in a reference center from Northeast Brazil. Methods: This is a descriptive, retrospective and comparative study based on the institutional data from a reference center in perinatology for a period of 16 years. Institutional data were collected from a 16-year period (2001-15). Data were divided into two periods: prior to (2001-11) and after (2012-15) the establishment of a telemedicine screening program. Results: After the implementation of the screening process, almost all kinds of heart disease showed a significant increase in their incidence (p <0.05). With this, the incidence of major heart diseases approached those specified in developed regions. Conclusion: The implementation of a screening process model for congenital heart diseases can change the context of patients with congenital heart diseases in poor regions.