Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmacology 9 (2021) 122-126

doi: 10.17265/2328-2150/2021.03.005
D DAVID PUBLISHING

Role of Telemedicine and Mobile Health in Management

Covid-19 Pandemic

Sohrabei Solmaz
Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Department of Medical Informatics, Tehran, Iran

Abstract: Background: Digital health similar Telemedicine and Mobile Health interventions are globally playing a significant role
to combat coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), which is an infectious disease caused by Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome
coronavirus19. Here, we present a very brief overview of the multifaceted digital interventions, globally, and in India, for
maintaining health and health-care delivery, in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic. Methods: This review was conducted through
searching four databases including PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Science Direct. Inclusion criteria included studies clearly
defining any use of telehealth (Telemedicine and Mobile Health) services in all aspects of health care during COVID-19 outbreak.
Results: 111 research studies published from 2019 to May 2020 were employed to provide theoretical and practical evidence on the
significance of using telemedicine and mobile health for remote treatment of patients during the COVID-19 pandemic. Also checked
the effects for identify the role of telehealth services in preventing, diagnosing, treating, and controlling diseases during COVID-19
outbreak, result showed used Telemedicine and Mobile Health effective outcome in the prevention and emergency treatment of other
patients. Discussion: Major technologies identified included telemedicine and mobile care (for COVID-19 as well as routine care),
for monitoring. Telehealth can become a basic need for the general population, health care providers, and patients with COVID-19,
especially when people are in quarantine, enabling patients in real time through contact with health care provider for advice on their
health problems. Conclusions: The use of telehealth improves the provision of health services. Therefore, telehealth should be an
important tool in caring services while keeping patients and health providers safe during COVID-19 outbreak and reduces the use of
resources in health centers, improves access to care, while minimizing the risk of direct transmission of the infectious agent from
person to person.

Key words: Telehealth, digital management of pandemic, IT/ICT applications for coronavirus disease.

1. Introduction the necessary applications of telemedicine is to follow

up patients when a hospital discharge [3, 4], which
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a
might be used for patients with COVID-19, as well.
severe acute respiratory infection caused by a type of
Accordingly, it will scale back the contact between
coronavirus that first originated in Wuhan, China in
patients and physicians and additionally result in
December 2019 and quickly has spread all over the
inflated population surveillance [5, 6]. Additionally,
world causing the COVID-19 pandemic [1, 2]. Given
one of the potentials of telemedicine is to useful
the high risk of transmission of the illness through
resource in triage and kind out human beings at risk of
person-to-person contact, telemedicine will be helpful
COVID-19 earlier than being cited hospitals [7].
in controlling the COVID-19 by reducing direct
Using the long-distance telecall smartphone name and
contact in addition Physical contact with
counseling may be useful in remotely travelling the
COVID-19–infected patients significantly increases
prone cases, disinfecting public locations and limiting
the chance of illness transmission and the need to
needless trips Patients with COVID-19 who‟ve get
quarantine exposed healthcare workers. One among
right of entry to, to their necessary fitness offerings
and extra sufferers may be visited through doctors [8].
Corresponding author: Sohrabi Solmaz, MS, research One of the groups of people most severely affected by
fields: medical informatics, telemedecin and mobile health,
data analysis. the outbreak of COVID-19 is patients with chronic
 Role of Telemedicine and Mobile Health in Management Covid-19 Pandemic 123

diseases and comorbidities [9]. In these cases, regular the infectious agent from person to person [13].
referrals to the hospital should be avoided through Another important benefit is not only the safety of
telemedical services, e.g. one of the groups most people, including the general public, patients and
affected by the COVID-19 outbreak is patients with health workers, but also the provision of wide access
chronic diseases and comorbidities [9]. In those cases, to caregivers [14]. Therefore, this technology is an
normal referrals to the health facility thru telemedicine attractive, effective and affordable option [10, 14].
offerings consisting of tv and teleconsultation have to Patients are eager to use telemedicine, but barriers still
be avoided. Physicists and different fitness care exist. The barriers the implementation of these
companies at health facility Due to direct touch with programs also depends largely on accreditation,
sufferers, there may be a better threat of COVID-19. payment systems and insurance [11, 14]. Additionally,
Doctors can remotely access sufferers with COVID-19 a few physicians are worried approximately technical
thru telemedicine [10] to get entry to affected person and clinical quality, safety, privacy, and accountability
statistics, e.g. as laboratory take a look at results, chest [15]. Telehealth can emerge as a fundamental want for
x-ray, tele medically manipulate and CT findings and the overall population, healthcare providers, and
provide healing measures to nurses and different sufferers with COVID-19, specifically whilst human
fitness care companies primarily based totally on beings are in quarantine in order that sufferers may be
those results. The teleconsultation gadget may be used suggested in actual time with the aid of using
to deliver affected person statistics such as fever, contacting the healthcare provider, the goal of this
cough and different critical signs and symptoms via evaluate become consequently to discover and
isolation and Capture and report quarantine [11]. To systematically evaluate the function of telehealth
have a whole database and make sure higher offerings within side the prevention, diagnosis,
surveillance of society. However, complete measures treatment and manipulate of illnesses at some stage in
ought to be taken to deal with COVID-19, taking into the COVID-19 outbreak [16-18].
consideration all feasible elements that have an effect
2. Methods
on one-of-a-kind elements of the fitness system.
Accordingly, telemedicine may be used as one of the A literature review was performed for articles
effective strategies. This have a look at in brief related to telemedicine. We used PubMed, Google
addressed the wishes of telemedicine, including Scholar, Cochrane Library and Ovid MEDLINE to
following up and tracking sufferers after discharge, search published articles between the years 1990 and
touring vulnerable cases, being concerned for 2020. Searches through the references of retrieved
sufferers with continual ailments and different articles were also performed. In addition, we reviewed
comorbidities, protective medical doctors and the web pages of various professional organizations
different fitness care providers, and information series including the American Telemedicine Association and
through quarantine and isolation periods. The use of the CMS for information and data relative to the topic
telemedicine technology offers numerous advantages, of interest. We used the following keywords:
mainly in non-emergency/recurring care and in cases „telemedicine‟, „telehealth‟, „COVID-19‟, „policy‟,
in which there may be no want for direct patient-issuer „regulation‟, „future‟, „rural‟, „physical examination‟.
interaction, e.g. in the provision of mental services Inclusion criteria included studies clearly defining any
[12]. Remote care reduces using assets in fitness care use of telehealth (Telemedicine and Mobile Health)
centers, improves get entry to care and on the equal services in all aspects of health care during COVID-19
time minimizes the hazard of direct transmission of outbreak.
124 Role of Telemedicine and Mobile Health in Management Covid-19 Pandemic

3. Results drastically has an effect on vintage age person conduct

to undertake cellular fitness services. The utilizations
111 research studies published from 1990 to May
of telemedicine have had positive impacts in the
2020 were employed to provide theoretical and
public health emergency beyond facilitating triage,
practical evidence on the significance of using
including allowing the rapid deployment of large
telemedicine and mobile health for remote treatment
numbers of healthcare providers and the providing of
of patients during the COVID-19 pandemic. Also services when local hospitals and healthcare centers
checked the effects for identify the role of telehealth are unable to meet demand. Telemedicine has been a
services in preventing, diagnosing, treating, and means of providing healthcare information not only to
controlling diseases during COVID-19 outbreak, infected people but also to non-infected people during
result showed used Telemedicine and Mobile Health this infectious pandemic [8]. Discussion round the use
effective outcome in the prevention and emergency of telemedicine for continual situation control has
treatment of other patients. additionally grown, and research have proven
comparable effects for a few situations with
4. Discussion
telemedicine use, such as diabetes and congestive
Public health crisis, such as COVID-19, severely coronary heart failure [28]. The increased usage has
challenges the health systems [19, 20]. Social recommended dialogue round the mixing of
influence is the extent in which an individual telemedicine into accreditation for healthcare
perceives that important others around him/her to providers, investment for telemedicine and remodeling
adopt technology [21]. In telemedicine application medical care fashions amongst different things. The
setting social influence is the degree wherein an achievement of telemedicine as a method of imparting
individual believes that important others exquisite healthcare has been well documented in
recommendations to adopt telemedicine application latest studies. In the context of number one care,
for health care services [22-24]. A recent study Powell et al [29] interviewed sufferers following
conducted by Kaium et al [25] had showed that social telemedicine visits with their number one care vendors
affect extensively effects on consumer conduct to and determined that all sufferers interviewed
maintain use of cellular fitness applications. Social determined telemedicine visits to be quality for their
affect additionally displays to a fashion that is number one care needs, and further, a majority said
generated through knowledgeable and a success that they might select to use telemedicine instead of
human whilst sharing reports and enjoyment [26]. It is in-man or woman visits within side the future. A
located that those 4 elements considerably have an examine measuring the feasibility of the usage of
impact on person conduct to adoption generation. The smartphones for surgical wound follow-up post
first aspect of unified concept of recognition and use appendectomy determined that the sensitivity and
of generation is overall performance expectancy and specificity for detecting surgical wound headaches
defined because the diploma wherein person accept as became 100% and 91.67%, respectively, the usage of
true with that use of telemedicine software will boom electronic mail imaging and affected person
his/her task overall performance [26]. In the context of questionnaires [30]. Furthermore, a study using text
telemedicine services, author like Hoque and Sorwar messaging as a means of follow-up after colorectal
[27] had investigated vintage age human beings surgery found that throughout the study, no
conduct closer to adoption of telemedicine programs postoperative complication was unrecognized, and
and found out that overall performance expectancy even suggested that follow-up questionnaires
 Role of Telemedicine and Mobile Health in Management Covid-19 Pandemic 125

regarding symptomatology via text messaging could utilization of telemedicine mainstream. If we do this,
potentially replace the traditional postoperative we can be organized for the next pandemic and the
follow-up visit [31]. Lastly, applications of destiny of healthcare.
telemedicine such as Tele-stroke services to provide
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