Teleophthalmology Screening for Diabetic Retinopathy in Brazil: Applicability and Economic Assessment.

Early diagnosis and prompt therapy of diabetic retinopathy (DR) are essential to prevent visual loss, but access of the diabetic population to regular fundus examination by an ophthalmologist remains a challenge. This prospective comparative study, including two referral health centers in the state of Minas Gerais, Southeastern Brazil, assesses applicability and economic viability of fundus photography-based teleophthalmology screening for DR. A total of 2,662 eyes of 1,331 patients were examined at both health centers.

The Impact of a Clinical Decision Support System in Diabetes Primary Care Patients in a Developing Country.

Background: Telehealth strategies have the potential to improve diabetes care, but there is a lack of evidence about the impact of these strategies in developing countries. Our objective was to analyze the feasibility, usability, and clinical impact of a decision support system (DSS) in Brazilian primary care diabetes patients.

Materials And Methods: This was a quasi-experimental study that included type 2 diabetes primary care patients >40 years of age.

[Telehealth support for primary health care in remote municipalities in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil].

Objective: To analyze the use, effectiveness, and resolubility of teleconsultation services provided to primary care units by the Telehealth Network of Minas Gerais, a public service providing teleconsultation and telediagnosis in cardiology to 821 health care sites.

Methods: This observational retrospective study included teleconsultations carried out between April 2007 and December 2012. Teleconsultations performed from January to May 2010 and January to March 2012 were analyzed regarding the type of query asked by professionals using the service.

Depressive symptoms and disability in chagasic stroke patients: impact on functionality and quality of life.

Introduction: Chagas disease (CD) is associated with stroke, which can result in significant long-term disability. Stroke has also been associated with depressive symptoms, which affect functional performance and quality of life (QOL). Few data are available on the effect of chagasic stroke on functional performance and QOL.

Six-minute walk test in patients with permanent cardiac pacemakers.

Purpose: The 6-minute walk test (6MWT) is a simple and reliable method routinely used in the evaluation of many conditions including cardiac diseases. However, it is rarely performed in patients with pacemakers (PMs), and the applicability and safety in this group is not established. The purpose of this study was to verify the applicability and safety of the 6MWT in the evaluation of functional capacity of patients with PMs, considering the ergometry test (ET) as the criterion standard.

[The Portuguese version, cross-cultural adaptation and validation of specific quality-of-life questionnaire -AQUAREL - for pacemaker patients].

Objective: To translate, to make the cultural adaptation and to evaluate reproducibility and validity of the Portuguese version of the AQUAREL (Assessment of QUAlity of life and RELated events) questionnaire, which is a specific tool to assess quality of life in pacemaker patients.

Methods: We evaluated 202 pacemaker patients: 63 patients during the cross-cultural adaptation stage and 139 during the reproducibility and validity evaluation stages. The questionnaire translation was reviewed repeatedly until > or = 85% of patients correctly understood the questions.