Impact of a telemedicine center on reducing productivity loss
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.21115/JBES.v17.p44-50Keywords:
Absenteeism, Telemedicine, Cost Savings, Costs and Cost Analysis, Employer Health CostsAbstract
Introduction: Loss of productivity is a very important topic for economic analyses. Objective: The objective of this study is to measure the economic impact of telemedicine offered by the TeleNordeste BP Project by monetizing the travel time avoided by patients to attend their specialist consultation in relation to the productivity maintained during this period. Methods: Study of the cost of preserved labor productivity, from the perspective of the patient, related to telemedicine, using data from a retrospective cohort of consultations performed in the period 2021-2023. All medical teleconsultations performed in the states where the project operates were included: Alagoas, Maranhão, and Piauí. Based on information from the 2023 Continuous National Household Sample Survey, conducted by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics, the income/hour in each municipality by gender was identified, and the time involved in patient travel was calculated if the consultation were performed in person, if the consultation were carried out in person. Results: A total of 25,194 teleinterconsultations performed were analyzed.The estimated loss of productivity avoided through telemedicine, due to the travel saved by patients,
presented a median of R$ 2,003,064.92 (US$ 403,031.17) and an interquartile range of R$ 2,048,833.28 (US$ 412,240.09). Conclusion: The telemedicine offered by the TeleNordeste Project made it possible to reduce the loss of labor productivity with a significant economic impact by avoiding the need for patients to travel for in-person consultations.
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