Second Opinion System for Emergency Cardiology in Brazil

Availability of low cost Internet connections and specialized hardware, like webcams and headsets, makes it possible to develop solutions for remote collaborative work. These solutions can be advantageous compared to face meetings for several reasons: they allow real-time presence of experts on remote locations without the cost of displacement, discussions can be recorded for educative and legal reasons, it is possible to create online didactic material (e.g. video-classes), technology also permits richer ways of interaction between participants. The Heart Institute of São Paulo with the support of the Brazilian Health Ministry have developed and implemented a second opinion pilot system for emergency cases in cardiology in the metropolitan area of São Paulo on two remote locations. The pilot project will be extended to comprise two hundred points across the country. In this paper we present the results of the project so far.