Telemedicine:

development and validation of tools for assisting dermatological diseases

Abstract

The need for communication between the space missions and support centers in land set new boundaries for the development of telecommunications technologies such as telemedicine. This area of research enables the development of equipment and systems for sharing medical information, which have been used by space agencies since the first manned missions. Due to its wide applicability, this new concept enabled the assistance of patients in poor and remote locations in various countries, encouraging research groups in developing solutions and tools for health care in these communities. The Center for Microgravity - FENG at the Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul has developed a series of studies to establish methodologies for easy handling of these tools, deploy and validate teledermatology systems in unattended locations, assess the impact of their use for diagnosis and treatment of disease and foster the transference of medical knowledge and technology among professionals. To carry out the project, equipments for dermatological images acquisition, a software for medical data sharing, and operational manuals to standardize its use were developed. Data collections were performed at three different locations, where teams took care of unattended communities in conjunction with local health teams. During the project accomplishment, 198 patients had medical care, allowing the development and validity of tools in telemedicine; students, teachers and health groups training, and the creation of printed and audiovisual manuals.