Telemedicine networks of EHAS Foundation in Latin America
Publicated to:Frontiers In Public Health. 2 (OCT): - 2014-01-01 2(OCT), DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2014.00188
Authors: Prieto-Egido I; Simó-Reigadas J; Liñán-Benítez L; García-Giganto V; Martínez-Fernández A
Affiliations
Abstract
Rural areas in developing countries are characterized by lack of resources, low population density, and scarcity of communications infrastructure. These circumstances make it difficult to provide appropriate health-care services. This paper explains research results achieved by Enlace Hispano Americano de Salud - Hispano American Health Link (EHAS) and how they have contributed to improve healthcare in isolated areas of developing countries through the use of information and communication technologies (ICT). As the first step, EHAS always collaborates with public health systems to identify its communication and information needs. Based on the analysis of needs, EHAS does research on appropriate technologies to provide communication in each context and on information systems suited to needs of health personnel. In parallel, EHAS has worked to provide applications that, making use of the communications services installed, could improve the health-care services in these remote areas. In this line, solutions to improve epidemiological surveillance or to provide telemedicine services (like a digital stethoscope or a tele-microscopy system) have been developed. EHAS has also performed several researches trying to ensure the sustainability of their solutions and has summarized them in a Management Framework for Sustainable e-Healthcare Provision. Finally, the effort to spread acquired knowledge has crystallized in a book that details all the technologies and procedures previously mentioned. © 2014 Prieto-Egido, Simó-Reigadas, Liñán-Benítez, García-Giganto and Martínez-Fernández.
Keywords
Quality index
Bibliometric impact. Analysis of the contribution and dissemination channel
The work has been published in the journal Frontiers In Public Health due to its progression and the good impact it has achieved in recent years, according to the agency Scopus (SJR), it has become a reference in its field. In the year of publication of the work, 2014, it was in position , thus managing to position itself as a Q2 (Segundo Cuartil), in the category Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health.
From a relative perspective, and based on the normalized impact indicator calculated from the Field Citation Ratio (FCR) of the Dimensions source, it yields a value of: 4.79, which indicates that, compared to works in the same discipline and in the same year of publication, it ranks as a work cited above average. (source consulted: Dimensions Jul 2025)
Specifically, and according to different indexing agencies, this work has accumulated citations as of 2025-07-06, the following number of citations:
- Scopus: 23
Impact and social visibility
Leadership analysis of institutional authors
This work has been carried out with international collaboration, specifically with researchers from: Peru.
There is a significant leadership presence as some of the institution’s authors appear as the first or last signer, detailed as follows: Last Author (MARTÍNEZ FERNÁNDEZ, ANDRÉS).