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Journal ArticleDOI

Identifying and addressing digital health risks associated with emergency pandemic response: Problem identification, scoping review, and directions toward evidence-based evaluation.

TL;DR: In this paper, the authors identify risk issues relating to the rapid development and redeployment of COVID-19 related e-health systems, in primary care, and in the health ecosystems interacting with it and suggest evidence-based evaluation directions under emergency response.
About: This article is published in International Journal of Medical Informatics.The article was published on 2022-01-01 and is currently open access. It has received 5 citations till now. The article focuses on the topics: Digital health & Digital health.
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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper , a review of the impacts of COVID-19 on the quality of life (QoL) observed in developed and developing nations is presented, which can serve as the baseline for better future strategies to improve global health initiatives.
Abstract: Globally, the healthcare industry is well known to be one of the strongest drivers of economic growth and development. The sector has gained substantial attention to deal with the fallout of COVID-19, leading to improvement in the quality observed in developed and developing nations. With the advent of the twenty-first century, globalization an ever-growing populace, and environmental changes prompted the more noteworthy spread of irresistible diseases, highlighting the association between wellbeing and future health security. The massive spread of COVID-19 paralyzed the global economy and took a toll on health governance and wellbeing. The present review aims to map the harrowing impacts of COVID-19 on the QoL (quality of life) observed. Particularly the post-pandemic era is likely to boot-strap the healthcare sector. Hence in post COVID era, there is a dire need to strengthen the healthcare system and understand the evolving challenges to answer calls in recovery in the wake of COVID-19.There is a flurry of research highlighting the implications faced due to the rise of the pandemic, resulting in the wrecking growth and development. However, the massive potential of telehealth is still largely underexplored with scarce research on countless evolving technologies. The current crisis highlighted the need to develop emerging frameworks and facilitate multilateral cooperation. The present research can serve as the baseline for better future strategies to improve global health initiatives. Further, this can help to focus on wider health determinants, redesign strategies and policies for the healthcare industry and to mitigate/deal better with future pandemics.

2 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: This paper provides necessary first steps for the design of a digital primary care system that can support system equity and resilience and reports on digital capability and growth in maturity in four key areas for Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom.
Abstract: Summary Objective : While the COVID-19 pandemic provided a global stimulus for digital health capacity, its development has often been inequitable, short-term in planning, and lacking in health system coherence. Inclusive digital health and the development of resilient health systems are broad outcomes that require a systematic approach to achieving them. This paper from the IMIA Primary Care Informatics Working Group (WG) provides necessary first steps for the design of a digital primary care system that can support system equity and resilience. Methods : We report on digital capability and growth in maturity in four key areas: (1) Vaccination/Prevention, (2) Disease management, (3) Surveillance, and (4) Pandemic preparedness for Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom (data from England). Our comparison looks at seasonal influenza management prior to COVID-19 (2019-20) compared to COVID-19 (winter 2020 onwards). Results : All three countries showed growth in digital maturity from the 2019-20 management of influenza to the 2020-21 year and the management of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the degree of progress was sporadic and uneven and has led to issues of system inequity across populations. Conclusion : The opportunity to use the lessons learned from COVID-19 should not be wasted. A digital health infrastructure is not enough on its own to drive health system transformation and to achieve desired outcomes such as system equity and resilience. We must define specific measures to track the growth of digital maturity, including standardized and fit-for-context data that is shared accurately across the health and socioeconomic sectors.

1 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Wang et al. as mentioned in this paper analyzed and provided development suggestions for the current EHR system in China through data structure and blockchain technology, which provided comprehensive processing of patients' health data, promoted the healthy development of the whole medical information-sharing platform, and improved the level of medical information data in the entire medical industry.
Abstract: With the development of modern health technology, every aspect of people's clothing, food, housing, and transportation is affected by information data. Doctors can use information data to assist in daily decision-making, enabling patients to enjoy better medical services. With the promulgation of the government's policy on medical treatment in different places, patients need medical institutions to be connected nationwide for subsequent medical insurance reimbursement. This chapter aims to analyze and provide development suggestions for the current EHR system in China through data structure and blockchain technology. This study provides comprehensive processing of patients' health data, promotes the healthy development of the whole medical information-sharing platform, improves the level of medical information data in the entire medical industry, and makes deeper exploitation of medical information.
Posted ContentDOI
02 Mar 2023
TL;DR: In this article , the authors conducted a scoping review to contribute to the understanding of the types and characteristics of online support groups (OSGs) for family caregivers, focusing on the psychosocial or other factors that made OSG successful or unsuccessful for participants.
Abstract: UNSTRUCTURED The purpose of this present study was to conduct a scoping review to contribute to the understanding of the types and characteristics of online support groups (OSGs) for family caregivers. Over the last decade the number of OSGs increased exponentially, however there is not consensus on what factors or characteristics of OSG contribute to the development of social support within these groups or what types of OSG are available to family caregivers. Following the Prisma-ScR guidelines, 19 studies were included in the review. The findings explore (a) the social support groups are online for adult family caregivers (b) the communication medium and characteristics of these OSGs and (c) the psychosocial or other factors that made OSG successful or unsuccessful for participants. The analysis process generated two overarching categories of safe communication and engagement described groups with a focus on similar others and shared life experience shared in a non-judgemental space overseen by trained peer or professional facilitators. A general recommendation for practitioners is that it appears important to build in active moderation and multi-faceted structures of support to meet different levels of caregiver needs and ability to engage.
References
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Journal ArticleDOI
14 Apr 2020-JAMA
TL;DR: Taiwan is an example of how a society can respond quickly to a crisis and protect the interests of its citizens in the face of an emerging epidemic.
Abstract: COVID-19 occurred just before the Lunar New Year during which time millions of Chinese and Taiwanese were expected to travel for the holidays Taiwan quickly mobilized and instituted specific approaches for case identification, containment, and resource allocation to protect the public health Taiwan enhanced COVID-19 case finding by proactively seeking out patients with severe respiratory symptoms (based on information from the National Health Insurance [NHI] database) who had tested negative for influenza and retested them for COVID-19;1 was found of 113 cases The toll-free number 1922 served as a hotline for citizens to report suspicious symptoms or cases in themselves or others;as the disease progressed, this hotline has reached full capacity, so each major city was asked to create its own hotline as an alternative It is not known how often this hotline has been used The government addressed the issue of disease stigma and compassion for those affected by providing food, frequent health checks, and encouragement for those under quarantine This rapid response included hundreds of action items Taiwan's government learned from its 2003 SARS experience and established a public health response mechanism for enabling rapid actions for the next crisis Well-trained and experienced teams of officials were quick to recognize the crisis and activated emergency management structures to address the emerging outbreak In a crisis, governments often make difficult decisions under uncertainty and time constraints These decisions must be both culturally appropriate and sensitive to the population Through early recognition of the crisis, daily briefings to the public, and simple health messaging, the government was able to reassure the public by delivering timely, accurate, and transparent information regarding the evolving epidemic Taiwan is an example of how a society can respond quickly to a crisis and protect the interests of its citizens

1,212 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The role that telehealth has played in transforming healthcare delivery during the 3 phases of the U.S. COVID-19 pandemic is described and how people, process, and technology work together to support a successful telehealth transformation is examined.

986 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The future of public health is likely to become increasingly digital, and the need for the alignment of international strategies for the regulation, evaluation and use of digital technologies to strengthen pandemic management, and future preparedness for COVID-19 and other infectious diseases is reviewed.
Abstract: Digital technologies are being harnessed to support the public-health response to COVID-19 worldwide, including population surveillance, case identification, contact tracing and evaluation of interventions on the basis of mobility data and communication with the public. These rapid responses leverage billions of mobile phones, large online datasets, connected devices, relatively low-cost computing resources and advances in machine learning and natural language processing. This Review aims to capture the breadth of digital innovations for the public-health response to COVID-19 worldwide and their limitations, and barriers to their implementation, including legal, ethical and privacy barriers, as well as organizational and workforce barriers. The future of public health is likely to become increasingly digital, and we review the need for the alignment of international strategies for the regulation, evaluation and use of digital technologies to strengthen pandemic management, and future preparedness for COVID-19 and other infectious diseases.

636 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In early 2020, talks of preparation for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) were furiously circulating around the healthcare system nationwide, and having seen what was occurring in China, and later in Italy, the need for an immediate adaptation of the clinical care delivery system was clear.

354 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The paper concludes by emphasizing that explicit models used in systems thinking provide new opportunities to understand and continuously test and revise the authors' understanding of the nature of things, including how to intervene to improve people’s health.
Abstract: This paper explores the question of what systems thinking adds to the field of global health. Observing that elements of systems thinking are already common in public health research, the article discusses which of the large body of theories, methods, and tools associated with systems thinking are more useful. The paper reviews the origins of systems thinking, describing a range of the theories, methods, and tools. A common thread is the idea that the behavior of systems is governed by common principles that can be discovered and expressed. They each address problems of complexity, which is a frequent challenge in global health. The different methods and tools are suited to different types of inquiry and involve both qualitative and quantitative techniques. The paper concludes by emphasizing that explicit models used in systems thinking provide new opportunities to understand and continuously test and revise our understanding of the nature of things, including how to intervene to improve people’s health.

326 citations