COVIDApp as an Innovative Strategy for the Management and Follow-Up of COVID-19 Cases in Long-Term Care Facilities in Catalonia: Implementation Study

Echeverría, Patricia; Bergas, Miquel Angel Mas; Isnard, Mar; Mesquida, Mireia Massot; Urgell, Cristina Vedia; Peiró, Ricardo; Ordorica, Yolanda; Pablo, Sara; Ulldemolins, María; Iruela, Mercé; Balart, Dolors; Ruiz, José María; Herms, Jordi; Sala, Bonaventura Clotet; Negredo, Eugènia

doi:10.2196/21163

Cited by 47 publications

(35 citation statements)

References 16 publications

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“…Although the level of effectiveness of contact tracing is still unclear [ 3 , 6 ], apps have been used in various countries to help with both contact tracing [ 4 ] and medical management of COVID-19 cases [ 13 ]. Their utility comes from being used as an adjunct contact tracing strategy alongside public health staff, particularly when community transmissions are high.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Concerns and Misconceptions About the Australian Government’s COVIDSafe App: Cross-Sectional Survey Study

Thomas¹,

Michaleff²,

Greenwood³

et al. 2020

JMIR Public Health Surveill

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Background Timely and effective contact tracing is an essential public health measure for curbing the transmission of COVID-19. App-based contact tracing has the potential to optimize the resources of overstretched public health departments. However, its efficiency is dependent on widespread adoption. Objective This study aimed to investigate the uptake of the Australian Government’s COVIDSafe app among Australians and examine the reasons why some Australians have not downloaded the app. Methods An online national survey, with representative quotas for age and gender, was conducted between May 8 and May 11, 2020. Participants were excluded if they were a health care professional or had been tested for COVID-19. Results Of the 1802 potential participants contacted, 289 (16.0%) were excluded prior to completing the survey, 13 (0.7%) declined, and 1500 (83.2%) participated in the survey. Of the 1500 survey participants, 37.3% (n=560) had downloaded the COVIDSafe app, 18.7% (n=280) intended to do so, 27.7% (n=416) refused to do so, and 16.3% (n=244) were undecided. Equally proportioned reasons for not downloading the app included privacy (165/660, 25.0%) and technical concerns (159/660, 24.1%). Other reasons included the belief that social distancing was sufficient and the app was unnecessary (111/660, 16.8%), distrust in the government (73/660, 11.1%), and other miscellaneous responses (eg, apathy and following the decisions of others) (73/660, 11.1%). In addition, knowledge about COVIDSafe varied among participants, as some were confused about its purpose and capabilities. Conclusions For the COVIDSafe app to be accepted by the public and used correctly, public health messages need to address the concerns of citizens, specifically privacy, data storage, and technical capabilities. Understanding the specific barriers preventing the uptake of contact tracing apps provides the opportunity to design targeted communication strategies aimed at strengthening public health initiatives, such as downloading and correctly using contact tracing apps.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Concerns and Misconceptions About the Australian Government’s COVIDSafe App: Cross-Sectional Survey Study

Thomas¹,

Michaleff²,

Greenwood³

et al. 2020

JMIR Public Health Surveill

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Among the apps that allow for real-time symptom monitoring, trackers and telemedicine systems have helped elucidate the frequency of symptoms associated with COVID-19, thereby allowing patients and health care providers the opportunity to respond early to symptom progression [ 44 , 47 , 48 , 66 ]. Reviews of contact tracing apps have highlighted their effectiveness in improving the spatiotemporal reporting of new cases, management and follow-up of COVID-19 cases, and education on preventive behaviors [ 52 , 53 , 57 , 58 , 67 - 70 ]. To address the mental and social impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, several apps have focused on reducing social isolation, providing positive coping strategies, and monitoring mental health symptoms [ 55 , 56 , 63 , 71 - 74 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Attitudes Toward Using COVID-19 mHealth Tools Among Adults With Chronic Health Conditions: Secondary Data Analysis of the COVID-19 Impact Survey

Camacho-Rivera¹,

Islam²,

Rivera³

et al. 2020

JMIR Mhealth Uhealth

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Background Adults with chronic conditions are disproportionately burdened by COVID-19 morbidity and mortality. Although COVID-19 mobile health (mHealth) apps have emerged, research on attitudes toward using COVID-19 mHealth tools among those with chronic conditions is scarce. Objective This study aimed to examine attitudes toward COVID-19, identify determinants of COVID-19 mHealth tool use across demographic and health-related characteristics, and evaluate associations between chronic health conditions and attitudes toward using COVID-19 mHealth tools (eg, mHealth or web-based methods for tracking COVID-19 exposures, symptoms, and recommendations). Methods We used nationally representative data from the COVID-19 Impact Survey collected from April to June 2020 (n=10,760). Primary exposure was a history of chronic conditions, which were defined as self-reported diagnoses of cardiometabolic, respiratory, immune-related, and mental health conditions and overweight/obesity. Primary outcomes were attitudes toward COVID-19 mHealth tools, including the likelihood of using (1) a mobile phone app to track COVID-19 symptoms and receive recommendations; (2) a website to track COVID-19 symptoms, track location, and receive recommendations; and (3) an app using location data to track potential COVID-19 exposure. Outcome response options for COVID-19 mHealth tool use were extremely/very likely, moderately likely, or not too likely/not likely at all. Multinomial logistic regression was used to compare the likelihood of COVID-19 mHealth tool use between people with different chronic health conditions, with not too likely/not likely at all responses used as the reference category for each outcome. We evaluated the determinants of each COVID-19 mHealth intervention using Poisson regression. Results Of the 10,760 respondents, 21.8% of respondents were extremely/very likely to use a mobile phone app or a website to track their COVID-19 symptoms and receive recommendations. Additionally, 24.1% of respondents were extremely/very likely to use a mobile phone app to track their location and receive push notifications about whether they have been exposed to COVID-19. After adjusting for age, race/ethnicity, sex, socioeconomic status, and residence, adults with mental health conditions were the most likely to report being extremely/very or moderately likely to use each mHealth intervention compared to those without such conditions. Adults with respiratory-related chronic diseases were extremely/very (conditional odds ratio 1.16, 95% CI 1.00-1.35) and moderately likely (conditional odds ratio 1.23, 95% CI 1.04-1.45) to use a mobile phone app to track their location and receive push notifications about whether they have been exposed to COVID-19. Conclusions Our study demonstrates that attitudes toward using COVID-19 mHealth tools vary widely across modalities (eg, web-based method vs app) and chronic health conditions. These findings may inform the adoption of long-term engagement with COVID-19 apps, which is crucial for determining their potential in reducing disparities in COVID-19 morbidity and mortality among individuals with chronic health conditions.

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“…This observation, along with spatiotemporal data obtained from reports of anosmia, can help the authorities nationwide to harness the value of emergency department visits, hospitalizations, and ICU admissions and to obtain early estimates of the outcomes of lockdown measures. Studies have assessed the generalizability of this tool in many countries in Europe (eg, UK and Germany) and in the United States [ 8 - 11 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Self-Assessment Web-Based App to Assess Trends of the COVID-19 Pandemic in France: Observational Study

Denis¹,

Fontanet²,

Douarin³

et al. 2021

J Med Internet Res

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Background We developed a self-assessment and participatory web-based triage app to assess the trends of the COVID-19 pandemic in France in March 2020. Objective We compared daily large-scale RT–PCR test results to monitor recent reports of anosmia through a web-based app to assess the dynamics of emergency department visits, hospitalizations, and intensive care unit (ICU) admissions among individuals with COVID-19 in France. Methods Between March 21 and November 18, 2020, users of the maladiecoronavirus.fr self-triage app were asked questions about COVID-19 symptoms. Data on daily hospitalizations, large-scale positive results on RT–PCR tests, emergency department visits, and ICU admission of individuals with COVID-19 were compared to data on daily reports of anosmia on the app. Results As of November 18, 2020, recent anosmia was reported 575,214 times from among approximately 13,000,000 responses. Daily anosmia reports during peak engagement with the app on September 16, 2020, were spatially correlated with the peak in daily COVID-19–related hospitalizations in November 2020 (Spearman rank correlation coefficient [ρ]=0.77; P<.001). This peak in daily anosmia reports was observed primarily among young adults (age range 18-40 years), being observed 49 days before the peak of hospitalizations that corresponded to the first wave of infections among the young population, followed by a peak in hospitalizations among older individuals (aged ≥50 years) in November 2020. The reduction in the daily reports of anosmia associated with the peaks in the number of cases preceded the reduction in daily hospitalizations by 10 and 9 days during the first and the second waves of infection, respectively, although the reduction in the positivity rates on RT–PCR tests preceded the reduction in daily hospitalizations by only 2 days during the second wave of infections. Conclusions Data on daily reports of anosmia collected through a nationwide, web-based self-assessment app can be a relevant tool to anticipate surges in outbreaks, hospitalizations, and ICU admission during the COVID-19 pandemic. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04331171; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04331171

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COVIDApp as an Innovative Strategy for the Management and Follow-Up of COVID-19 Cases in Long-Term Care Facilities in Catalonia: Implementation Study

Cited by 47 publications

References 16 publications

Concerns and Misconceptions About the Australian Government’s COVIDSafe App: Cross-Sectional Survey Study

Concerns and Misconceptions About the Australian Government’s COVIDSafe App: Cross-Sectional Survey Study

Attitudes Toward Using COVID-19 mHealth Tools Among Adults With Chronic Health Conditions: Secondary Data Analysis of the COVID-19 Impact Survey

A Self-Assessment Web-Based App to Assess Trends of the COVID-19 Pandemic in France: Observational Study

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