Profile of teleconsultations provided by family and community physicians in Santa Catarina, Brazil, 2019- 2024

Abstract

The expansion of telehealth within the Brazilian Unified Health System (SUS) has promoted the adoption of technologies that support healthcare delivery, with teleconsulting emerging as an important tool for clinical support in Primary Health Care (PHC). This cross-sectional study employed both quantitative and qualitative approaches to characterize teleconsultations provided by Family and Community Physicians in supporting PHC professionals in the state of Santa Catarina, Brazil, between 2019 and 2024. A total of 6,186 teleconsultations were analyzed according to the reason for consultation, clinical recommendations, requester characteristics, satisfaction, and qualitative indicators. Most requests were submitted by general practitioners. In 68.4% of the cases, the recommendation was to manage the patient within PHC, whereas 29.9% resulted in referral to specialized care. Among the evaluated teleconsultations, 93.2% of requesters reported being satisfied or highly satisfied. Qualitative analysis demonstrated that the responses were consistent with PHC principles, provided safe clinical support, and included bibliographic references for further consultation. These findings indicate that Family and Community Physicians acting as teleconsultants enhance clinical decision-making, reduce unnecessary referrals, and improve the comprehensiveness and problem-solving capacity of health services, reinforcing the strategic role of Family and Community Medicine in strengthening and organizing the SUS.