The effective and safe use of invasive mechanical ventilation equipment, expected to be necessary in about 5% of COVID-19 cases (WHO), requires qualified and trained human resources, in a process that can be long and demanding. In Portugal, this equipment can be from several suppliers, and there have been recent acquisitions and / or donations to the National Health Service, making it difficult to have qualified and trained health professionals to operate them. Responding to this challenge, COVIDVentilSupport offers a digital platform for technical support for the operation of this equipment, sustained by clinical specialists. The platform will forward, in a semi-automatic manner, the calls of clinicians operating a ventilator to the available support physician with the specific skills in that equipment, in real time. The initiative will be firstly implemented at Centro Hospitalar Universitário São João and at Hospital de Braga but may be extended to the entire national territory.

This project is integrated in a set of actions of the HCP, through its thematic network Smart Health Network, to respond to the pandemic. This and other projects, which are already being developed in the field, involve start-ups and national companies, international partners, R&D institutions and hospitals.

The objective is to support the effort and dedication of healthcare professionals in combating COVID-19 by using the know-how, experience and knowledge in the fields of medical technologies and digital health of HCP associates.

About the Health Cluster Portugal

The Health Cluster Portugal (HCP) is a private non-profit association that currently brings together more than 180 members, including R&D institutions, universities, hospitals, civil society organizations, and companies in the fields of pharmaceutical, biotechnology , medical technologies and services.

You can find detailed information on the HCP website (www.healthportugal.com) and participate in the HCP groups on LinkedIn® (http://www.linkedin.com/groups/Health-Cluster-Portugal-4481242/about).