Telemedicine and e-Health research solutions in literature for combatting COVID-19: a systematic review

Abstract

COVID-19 had led to severe clinical manifestations. In the current scenario, 98 794 942 people are infected, and it has responsible for 2 124 193 deaths around the world as reported by World Health Organization on 25 January 2021. Telemedicine has become a critical technology for providing medical care to patients by trying to reduce transmission of the virus among patients, families, and doctors. The economic consequences of coronavirus have affected the entire world and disrupted daily life in many countries. The development of telemedicine applications and eHealth services can significantly help to manage pandemic worldwide better. Consequently, the main objective of this paper is to present a systematic review of the implementation of telemedicine and e-health systems in the combat to COVID-19. The main contribution is to present a comprehensive description of the state of the art considering the domain areas, organizations, funding agencies, researcher units and authors involved. The results show that the United States and China have the most significant number of studies representing 42.11% and 31.58%, respectively. Furthermore, 35 different research units and 9 funding agencies are involved in the application of telemedicine systems to combat COVID-19.

The Development of Electronic Health and Artificial Intelligence in Surgery after the SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic—A Scoping Review

“…Amid the pandemic, the United States has further integrated the “Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2020” with the primary goal of waiving and modifying the various restriction to eHealth visible in the Medicare package [ 21 ]. According to Alonso et al, most of the studies (42%) on electronic health and artificial intelligence during the pandemic focus on the United States, thus implying that the country is at the forefront of applying the concepts in various medical procedures such as surgery [ 22 ]. Another article by Feizi et al revealed that in the United States, the use of AI is evident during the pandemic via the Corpath robotic arm, whose primary goal is to perform coronary interventions, especially in instances where professionals are dealing with SARS-CoV-2 patients [ 23 ].…”

“…Consequently, the National Telemedicine Centre of China developed an emergency eHealth consultation system geared toward managing and monitoring patients’ health. During the pandemic, the country has further applied the Kirkpatrick training model in the emergency surgery department [ 22 ].…”

Impact on Mental Well-Being and Resilience of Patients with Multiple Chronic Conditions in Different Periods during the Coronavirus Disease 2019 Outbreak in Taiwan

“…In addition, telemedicine, including video or phone consultations, can allow individuals with chronic conditions to self-monitor symptoms and send this information to their clinicians via mobile apps and/or other digital platforms [42]. Telehealth during the pandemic is increasingly important, and the innovative adoption of digital technologies can continue to provide valuable patient-clinician communication, not only for clinical care but also for in-person primary care, specialty care, and monitoring behavioral changes in patients [43,44].…”

Socio-Cultural Binoculars View of Telemedicine in Sub-Saharan Africa: Potency, Prospect, Defect and Danger

“…Studies in advanced regions of the world have presented a number of benefits inherent in providing and accessing online healthcare and medical service delivery (Alonso et al, 2021;Monaghesh & Hajizadeh, 2020;Lauckner & Whitten, 2016;Scott & Mars, 2013;Mistry, 2012). These studies further attest to the popular acceptance of telemedicine as a result of these inherent benefits in the advanced countries.…”