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Background COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, has become a global pandemic, affecting most countries worldwide. Digital health information technologies can be applied in three aspects, namely digital patients, digital devices, and digital clinics, and could be useful in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic. Objective Recent reviews have examined the role of digital health in controlling COVID-19 to identify the potential of digital health interventions to fight the disease. However, this study aims to review and analyze the digital technology that is being applied to control the COVID-19 pandemic in the 10 countries with the highest prevalence of the disease. Methods For this review, the Google Scholar, PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus databases were searched in August 2020 to retrieve publications from December 2019 to March 15, 2020. Furthermore, the Google search engine was used to identify additional applications of digital health for COVID-19 pandemic control. Results We included 32 papers in this review that reported 37 digital health applications for COVID-19 control. The most common digital health projects to address COVID-19 were telemedicine visits (11/37, 30%). Digital learning packages for informing people about the disease, geographic information systems and quick response code applications for real-time case tracking, and cloud- or mobile-based systems for self-care and patient tracking were in the second rank of digital tool applications (all 7/37, 19%). The projects were deployed in various European countries and in the United States, Australia, and China. Conclusions Considering the potential of available information technologies worldwide in the 21st century, particularly in developed countries, it appears that more digital health products with a higher level of intelligence capability remain to be applied for the management of pandemics and health-related crises.

Wearable smart sensors are emerging technology for daily monitoring of vital signs with the reducing discomfort and interference with normal human activities. The main objective of this study was to review the applied wearable smart sensors for disease control and vital signs monitoring in epidemics outbreaks. A comprehensive search was conducted in Web of Science, Scopus, IEEE Library, PubMed and Google Scholar databases to identify relevant studies published until June 2, 2020. Main extracted specifications for each paper are publication details, type of sensor, disease, type of monitored vital sign, function and usage. Of 277 articles, 11 studies were eligible for criteria. 36% of papers were published in 2020. Articles were published in 10 different journals and only in the Journal of Medical Systems more than one article was published. Most sensors were used to monitor body temperature, heart rate and blood pressure. Wearable devices (like a helmet, watch, or cuff) and body area network sensors were popular types which can be used monitoring vital signs for epidemic trending. 65% of total papers (n = 6) were conducted by the USA, Malaysia and India. Applying appropriate technological solutions could improve control and management of epidemic disease as well as the application of sensors for continuous monitoring of vital signs. However, further studies are needed to investigate the real effects of these sensors and their effectiveness.

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Background When an outbreak emerged, each country needs a coherent and preventive plan to deal with epidemics. In the era of technology, adopting informatics‐based solutions is essential. The main objective of this study is to propose a conceptual framework to provide a rapid and responsive surveillance system against pandemics. Methods A three‐step approach was employed in this research to develop a conceptual framework. These three steps comprise (1) literature review, (2) extracting and coding concepts, and determining main themes based on thematic analysis using ATLAS . ti® software, and (3) mapping concepts. Later, all of the results synthesized under expert consultation to design a conceptual framework based on the main themes and identified strategies related to medical informatics. Results In the literature review phase, 65 articles were identified as eligible studies for analysis. Through line by line coding in thematic analysis, more than 46 themes were extracted as potential foremost themes. Based on the key themes and strategies were employed by studies, the proposed framework designed in three main components. The most appropriate strategies that can be used in each section were identified based on the demands of each part and the available solutions. These solutions were employed in the final framework. Conclusion The presented model in this study can be the first step for a better understanding of the potential of medical informatics solutions in promoting epidemic disease management. It can be applied as a reference model for designing intelligent surveillance systems to prepare for probable future pandemics.

Background One of the main elements of patient-centered care is an enhancement of patient preparedness. Thus, pre-visit planning assessment tools was emerged to prepare and involve patients in their treatment process. Objective The main objective of this article was to review the applied tools and techniques for consideration of putting pre-visit planning into practice. Methods Web of Science, Scopus, IEEE, and PubMed databases were searched using keywords from January 2001 to November 2020. The review was completed according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses checklist. Then, qualitative analysis was done to suggest an appropriate framework by mapping the main concepts. Results Out of 385 citations were retrieved in initial database searches, 49 studies from ten countries were included. Applied pre-visit techniques can be classified into eight categories. Our results showed that almost 81% of studies were related to procedures that were done between each visit, while 42% of articles were related to before visits. Accordingly, the main approach of included articles was patient preparedness. While 38 studies reported this approach is effective, three studies reported the effectiveness of such tools as moderate, only two articles believed it had a low effect on improving patient-centered care. Conclusion This survey summarized the characteristics of published studies on pre-visit planning in the proposed framework. This approach could enhance the quality of patient care alongside enhancement patient-provider communication. However, such an approach can also be helpful to control pandemic diseases by reducing unnecessary referrals.

Background As many people relied on information from the Internet for official scientific or academically affiliated information during the COVID‐19 pandemic, the quality of information on those websites should be good. Objective The main purpose of this study was to evaluate a selection of COVID‐19‐related websites for the quality of health information provided. Method Using Google and Yahoo, 36 English language websites were selected, in accordance with the inclusion criteria. The two tools were selected for evaluation were the Health on the Net (HON) Code and the 16‐item DISCERN tool. Results Most websites (39%) were related to information for the public, and a small number of them (3%) concerned screening websites in which people could be informed of their possible condition by entering their symptoms. The result of the evaluation by the HON tool showed that most websites were reliable (53%), and 44% of them were very reliable. Based on the assessment results of the Likert‐based 16‐item DISCERN tool, the maximum and minimum values for the average scores of each website were calculated as 2.44 and 4.25, respectively. Conclusion Evaluation using two widely accepted tools shows that most websites related to COVID‐19 are reliable and useful for physicians, researchers and the public.

Background: Registries in various clinical domains have been established in the last decades. The specific genetic structure of twins has enabled researchers to find answers to the role of genetics and the environment in medical sciences. Thus, twin registries were developed across the world to support twin studies. Our main objective was to devise a conceptual model for developing the national twin registry to ensure the success of this registry. Methods:In this descriptive and qualitative study, the combination of literature review and focus group discussions was applied to achieve suitable models for developing a national twin registry based on lessons learned from founded registries. The qualitative synthesis and reporting results were conducted based on the COREQ checklist. Results: According to a systematic literature review, the characteristics and employed strategies employed by established twin registries were recognized. Moreover, based on our objectives, suitable models for registry development were defined. The source of information, the different levels of data, and the information flow were determined based on this model. Conclusion: Suggesting a conceptual framework for twin registry development at the national level based on the experiences of other countries could contribute to a greater understanding of twin registry implementation efficiently.