Resumen

STUSSER BELTRANENA, Rodolfo J. et al. Vedado Project: electronic health in primary health care. Design and initial results. Rev Cubana Med Gen Integr [online]. 2006, vol.22, n.4. ISSN 0864-2125.

The design, rationale, initial and future results of the “Vedado” electronic health (e-health) projects in primary health care and comprehensive general medicine between 2002 and 2006 are briefly exposed. The results attained with a primary care managerial information system, a teleelectrocardiographic system of 2nd and 3rd opinion, some web sites of “Vedado” Polyclinic, a multimedia tutorial of anatomy in primary care and a virtual university from this own care level are described. The perspective results of a distance and on-line research electronic network and a collaborative center of the national health system starting from primary care, of the use of personal digital assistants and wireless technology, as well as of a unique electronic medical history from the family physician's office to the rest of the system are mentioned. It is concluded that the results obtained have allowed a slow improvement of the efficiency of this level of attention and of our specialty. It is expected that the continuation of these projects and their extension will produce a leap of quality in the services of General Comprehensive Medicine in the health areas, mainly in the rural and most isolated areas of the country. It is recommended to formalize an electronic health research center and network, starting from the primary care, with a budget for research projects, including telesurgery techniques and minimum access surgery, above all in the rural areas, and to facilitate the e-health research collaboration and the trainings and academic exchanges in the advanced countries.

Palabras clave : Primary care; general comprehensive medicine; informatics; telemedicine; electronic health; health services; distance research collaboration.