Teleservice in times of pandemic

Social distancing is one of the measures most reinforced by scientists and health experts to prevent the spread of Covid-19. In this context of the pandemic, in which the crowding of people increases the chance of infection by the new coronavirus, teleservice has become a necessary tool to monitor patients suspected or confirmed with Covid-19, in addition to offering support for various areas such as psychology, nutrition, nursing, physiotherapy and other professional fields.
In addition to in-person services, the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN) is also offering teleservices to the internal and external community, throughout the state. The aim is to contribute to the health care of the population, by avoiding the exposure of people in health units, starting monitoring or continuing the care that began before the pandemic.
With the remote modality, the university teams have strived to offer biosafety assistance, providing adequate guidance, planning interventions and providing people with a space for listening and expressing themselves. Check out some of the teleservices currently offered by UFRN:
Covid-19
The UFRN Multicampi School of Medical Sciences (EMCM) offers teleservices, with medical guidance related to Covid-19. Called Telehealth in the Sertão, the platform provides care through an artificial intelligence called Francisco or Chico. 900 consultations and 23 thousand interactions have already been carried out until June. In the chat, it is possible to chat instantly, send questions, receive health information and identify whether the symptoms complained of are characteristic of the disease, in addition to receiving correct guidance on which service to seek.
The action also offers telephone or video call support with doctors and students guided by professors. The platform can be accessed on the EMCM Telesaúde no Sertão website, on Instagram and on Facebook. Created in partnership with Salu, a health innovation startup, Telesaúde no Sertão is open from Monday to Friday, from 8am to 12pm and from 2pm to 6pm, and on Saturdays and Sundays, from 8am to 12pm. Until August 10, the service will undergo maintenance that will make the platform more effective and self-sustainable.
The Institute of Tropical Medicine (IMT) also offers telecare, in which health professionals answer calls from people with Covid-19 symptoms, and telemonitoring, which is carried out by a specific team to guide people who have been tested for the disease in the unit. The telemonitoring work began at the end of April when the Institute began carrying out full tests to detect the coronavirus. In this service, which has already tested more than 10 thousand people, the health team contacts the person tested to inform them of the procedures to be followed after the test result.
Since March, when the call center service began, 1,782 people have sought help. Of these, 29% were referred to emergency care, 21.5% were advised to stay at home under alert in relation to the symptoms experienced and 49.5% were advised to remain in isolation without contact with other people. The IMT call center operates from Monday to Friday via telephone number 3342-2300
For the internal public of UFRN, the Dean of People Management (Progesp) created Covid-19 Monitoring Committees, which have provided teleservices to employees (technicians and teachers) and outsourced collaborators working in person, in addition to students who are in university residence with a suspected or confirmed case of infection with the new coronavirus. Therefore, people from the internal community who show symptoms of Covid-19 should contact the commissions by telephone 99474-6679, between 8am and 1pm, Monday to Friday, or by email at dascovid19@reitoria.ufrn.br.
Psychology
The Applied Psychology Service (SEPA) and the Psychology Department of the Central Campus provide psychological support on the Coronavirus Prevention Dial Platform, in partnership with the State Government, by calling 3190-0700. There is also psychosocial support for UFRN teleworking teams; psychopedagogical support for families and teachers, via Projeto Apoiar; and online psychotherapy with clients who were already being served before the pandemic.
The Applied Psychology Service (SEPA) of the Faculty of