Telemedicine and Artificial Intelligenceas tools to expand universal and full access to health

Abstract

Background: The 1988 Constitution represents a huge advance in access to and delivery of health services, as it inaugurated a new legal order capable of promoting the inclusion of millions of Brazilians who were previously excluded from any health care, and the creation of the Unified Health System (SUS) instituted a paradigm shift. Problem: To investigate whether the use of technology can expand universal and comprehensive access to health care. Objectives: The main objective of this study is to demonstrate that the use of information and communication technology in medicine, especially telemedicine, combined with artificial intelligence, can be an important complementary tool for expanding universal and comprehensive access to health care. Methods: The deductive method was adopted for the analysis, and exploratory and qualitative research was conducted, with bibliographic and documentary research based on books, scientific articles, and documents. Results: the study indicates that Telemedicine associated with Artificial Intelligence, if applied in its broad context, can offer quality services and reach populations located in areas far from large urban centers or even in remote areas of Brazilian territory. Conclusion: The study demonstrates that the application of technology is a tool that can expand universal and comprehensive access to healthcare, but it also raises concerns such as privacy, the biased use of Artificial Intelligence, and liability for damages. Furthermore, it can be inferred that the use of technology in medicine emphasizes the State's duty to safeguard patient privacy by complying with the standards set forth in the General Data Protection Law, as well as by implementing robust security systems within the Ministry of Health.