Online services offered to patients are advancing in Brazilian healthcare facilities, survey TIC Saúde 2023 indicates

The TIC Saúde survey, celebrating its 10th year, has introduced for the first time detailed data on the application of Artificial Intelligence in the sector

After a period of stability, the offering of online services to patients grew in 2023. This is revealed by the latest edition of TIC Saúde, launched this Tuesday (4) by the Brazilian Internet Steering Committee (CGI.br). The survey is conducted by the Regional Center for Studies on the Development of the Information Society (Cetic.br) of the Brazilian Network Information Center (NIC.br). Between 2022 and 2023, internet appointment scheduling rose from 13% to 24%, while exam scheduling increased from 11% to 19%, and electronic medical record viewing from 8% to 18%. Within the private system, the online viewing of exam results showed significant growth (from 33% in 2022 to 40% in 2023).

"Over the 10 years of the study, we have monitored greater computerization of healthcare facilities, related mainly to infrastructure and electronic systems, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic," says Alexandre Barbosa, manager at Cetic.br|NIC.br. "The continued survey allows us to examine how technological resources have been integrated into health units and how this has facilitated the advancement of digital health in the country."

In Basic Health Units (UBS), the most offered services via Internet in 2023 were viewing exam results and scheduling appointments (27%), and electronic medical record verification (21%).

Despite the growing demand for health information and services in the digital environment, today about half of the establishments in the area have a website (49%) and social media presence (53%), according to the Cetic.br survey.

Telehealth
The TIC Saúde 2023 survey also showed an increase in the percentage of public establishments offering distance education (from 24% to 31%) and teleconsultation (from 15% to 21%) between 2022 and 2023. In the private sphere, two out of ten units provided services such as telediagnosis and teleconsultation.

"Telehealth has played a crucial role in expanding access to healthcare services throughout the national territory. After several years of stability, there was an increase in the percentage of establishments offering distance education for professionals and teleconsultation, a growth driven by the public network," comments Barbosa.

The Northeast (26%) and Center-West (22%) were the regions with the most establishments offering distance education via telehealth. Meanwhile, teleconsultation was more common in the North (24%) and Northeast (24%).

Electronic Systems
Based on the survey's historical series, a gradual advance in the adoption of electronic systems for recording patient information has been observed in recent years, increasing from 74% in 2016 to 87% of healthcare establishments in 2023. This progress was particularly notable in public units, where the indicator increased from 56% to 85% during the same period.

The study also noted regional disparities in this resource. The North (79%) and Northeast (83%) have the lowest proportions of establishments with some type of electronic patient information recording system. The highest percentage was found in the South region (93%). The states with the least equipped establishments with electronic systems are Amapá (66%), Maranhão (71%), and Acre (72%).

This progress was reflected in the greater availability of some types of patient information in electronic format, especially in public establishments. In 2013, 64% of public network units had registration information in this format; ten years later, this increased to 88%. Information on the main reasons for patient attendance (from 28% to 83%), health diagnoses (from 27% to 82%), and administered vaccines (from 29% to 78%) are among the most digitally available information over the past decade.

AI and Other Technologies
In the new technologies module, indicators were included that provide more detailed information on the application of artificial intelligence (AI). In 2023, around 3,200 health establishments used this resource, the vast majority from the private network (approximately 2,800). Among the most used tools by those adopting AI are those aimed at automating workflow processes (46%), speech recognition (33%), and text mining and analysis of written or spoken language (32%). Image recognition and processing, as well as machine learning for prediction and data analysis, were applied by 21% and 16%, respectively.

The use of AI by establishments aimed primarily to improve digital security (45%), support the organization of clinical and administrative processes (41%), and enhance treatment efficiency (38%). On the other hand, applications to support human resource management or recruitment (28%) and assist in medication dosage (16%) were less cited.

In the case of health units that did not resort to AI-based solutions, 63% of managers did not consider the technology a priority. In almost half of the establishments, non-use was due to incompatibility with existing equipment, software, or systems (52%), very high costs (50%), and lack of need or interest (49%). Concerns about data protection and privacy breaches (39%) and ethical issues (22%) were less cited.

A low percentage of establishments used technologies like blockchain (1,200), robotics (3,200), and the Internet of Things (IoT) (4,300). A reduced portion of health establishments also adopted cloud services. Hospitals with more than 50 inpatient beds were the top users of these services, notably cloud email (63%) and cloud file or database storage (57%). Regarding big data analysis, it has been more conducted by hospitals with inpatient facilities and more than 50 beds (22% in 2023). The main source is data from the establishment itself, such as registration forms and medical records (64%) and smart devices or sensors (58%).

About the Survey
The survey aims to investigate the adoption of ICTs in health establishments and their appropriation by professionals in the area. In this 10th edition, interviews were conducted by phone and the Internet between February and August 2023 with 4,117 managers from health establishments across the country.

The survey is conducted by Cetic.br, a department of NIC.br, and receives institutional support from international organizations such as the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), as well as institutional and technical support from the Ministry of Health, the National Supplementary Health Agency (ANS), the National Council of Health Secretariats (Conass), the National Council of Municipal Health Secretariats (Conasems), the Brazilian Hospital Services Company (EBSERH), the Brazilian Society of Health Informatics (SBIS), and specialists affiliated with important universities.

The complete list of indicators can be viewed at https://cetic.br/pt/pesquisa/saude/indicadores/. To watch the survey launch, visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2FUA2ESA6MQ.

About Cetic.br
The Regional Center for Studies on the Development of the Information Society (Cetic.br) of NIC.br is responsible for producing indicators and statistics on internet access and use in Brazil, disseminating periodic analyses and information on network development in the country. Cetic.br|NIC.br is also a Regional Center for Studies under the auspices of UNESCO, celebrating 19 years of operation in 2024. More information can be found at https://cetic.br/.

About the Brazilian Network Information Center – NIC.br
The Brazilian Network Information Center — NIC.br (https://nic.br/) is a non-profit private civil organization responsible for operating the .br domain, as well as distributing IP numbers and registering Autonomous Systems in the country. NIC.br implements the decisions and projects of the Brazilian Internet Steering Committee - CGI.br since 2005, and all revenues are from activities of a primarily private nature. It conducts actions and projects that benefit the internet infrastructure in Brazil. NIC.br includes: Registro.br (https://registro.br/), CERT.br (https://cert.br/), Ceptro.br (https://ceptro.br/), Cetic.br (https://cetic.br/), IX.br (https://ix.br/) and Ceweb.br (https://ceweb.br/), as well as projects like Internetsegura.br (https://internetsegura.br/) and the Good Practices Portal for Internet in Brazil (https://bcp.nic.br/). It also hosts the W3C Chapter São Paulo office (https://w3c.br/).

About the Brazilian Internet Steering Committee – CGI.br
The Brazilian Internet Steering Committee is responsible for establishing strategic guidelines related to the use and development of the internet in Brazil, coordinating and integrating all internet service initiatives in the country, promoting technical quality, innovation, and dissemination of the services offered. Based on the principles of multisectionalism and transparency, CGI.br represents a democratic internet governance model acclaimed internationally, where all sectors of society equally participate in its decisions. One of its formulations is the 10 Principles for Internet Governance and Use (https://cgi.br/resolucoes/documento/2009/003). More information can be found at https://cgi.br/.

Press Contacts – NIC.br:

Weber Shandwick
https://webershandwick.com.br/
PABX: (11) 3027-0200 / 3531-4950
Milena Oliveira - moliveira@webershandwick.com

Communications Office – NIC.br
Carolina Carvalho - Communications Manager - carolcarvalho@nic.br
Ana Nascimento - Communications Coordinator – ananascimento@nic.br

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