Proposal for a telehealth concept in the translational research model.

OBJECTIVE: To review the conceptual relationship between telehealth and translational research. METHODS: Bibliographical search on telehealth was conducted in the Scopus, Cochrane BVS, LILACS and MEDLINE databases to find experiences of telehealth in conjunction with discussion of translational research in health. The search retrieved eight studies based on analysis of models of the five stages of translational research and the multiple strands of public health policy in the context of telehealth in Brazil. The models were applied to telehealth activities concerning the Network of Human Milk Banks, in the Telemedicine University Network. RESULTS: The translational research cycle of human milk collected, stored and distributed presents several integrated telehealth initiatives, such as video conferencing, and software and portals for synthesizing knowledge, composing elements of an information ecosystem, mediated by information and communication technologies in the health system. CONCLUSIONS: Telehealth should be composed of a set of activities in a computer mediated network promoting the translation of knowledge between research and health services.