Telehealth utilization during the Covid-19 pandemic: A systematic review

Abstract

During the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, different technologies, including telehealth, are maximised to mitigate the risks and consequences of the disease. Telehealth has been widely utilised because of its usability and safety in providing healthcare services during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, a systematic literature review which provides extensive evidence on the impact of COVID-19 through telehealth and which covers multiple directions in a large-scale research remains lacking. This study aims to review telehealth literature comprehensively since the pandemic started. It also aims to map the research landscape into a coherent taxonomy and characterise this emerging field in terms of motivations, open challenges and recommendations. Articles related to telehealth during the COVID-19 pandemic were systematically searched in the WOS, IEEE, Science Direct, Springer and Scopus databases. The final set included (n=86) articles discussing telehealth applications with respect to (i) control (n=25), (ii) technology (n=14) and (iii) medical procedure (n=47). Since the beginning of the pandemic, telehealth has been presented in diverse cases. However, it still warrants further attention. Regardless of category, the articles focused on the challenges which hinder the maximisation of telehealth in such times and how to address them. With the rapid increase in the utilization of telehealth in different specialised hospitals and clinics, a potential framework which reflects the authors’ implications of the future application and opportunities of telehealth has been established. This article improves our understanding and reveals the full potential of telehealth during these difficult times and beyond.

Carbon Dioxide Sensing—Biomedical Applications to Human Subjects

“…telehealth—on patient’s outcome and costs of admission in various pathologies [ 306 , 307 , 308 ]. Further still, both the emergence of new pandemics such as the COVID-19 outbreak [ 309 ] and the rapid growth of health wearables [ 310 , 311 , 312 , 313 ] may also push medical practice towards telemonitoring.…”

Use of and Satisfaction with Telemedicine Services during the Pandemic: Findings from the COVID-19 Snapshot Monitoring in Germany (COSMO)

“…This is especially relevant for individuals who have a high risk for a severe course of COVID-19 [ 4 ]. Thus, the use of telemedicine increased considerably in various countries during the pandemic [ 5 ]. For example, in Germany, 25% of doctors’ offices offered video consultations in March 2020, whereas only about 2% offered these services in 2017 [ 6 ].…”

Utility of telemedicine in sub‐Saharan Africa during the COVID ‐19 pandemic. A rapid review

“…Some countries on the continent adopted telehealth and other digital technologies to increase medical health access for their people (Chitungo, Mhango, Dzobo, et al, 2021 ; Mbunge, 2020b ). Telehealth (or telemedicine) is defined as delivery of healthcare services, where distance is a critical factor, by all healthcare professionals using information technologies for the exchange of valid information for the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disease and injuries, research, and evaluation and the continuing education of healthcare providers, all in the interests of advancing the health of individuals and their communities (Garfan et al, 2021 ). The rapid technological advancements have revolutionized the medical landscape allowing its expansion out of the traditional healthcare facility, such as consultation rooms, clinics, and healthcare facilities by making use of information technology and overcoming barriers posed by geographical locations leading to the birth of telemedicine (Srinivasan et al, 2020 ).…”