The application of digital health to fight against COVID-19

• Published in: Digital Technology in Public Health and Rehabilitation Care: COVID Era
• Main Author: Yughdtheswari M.; Pillai S.G.K.
• Format: Book chapter
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier 2024
• Online Access: https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85205384972&doi=10.1016%2fB978-0-443-22270-2.00019-8&partnerID=40&md5=5a55630e2ff929f3d28dd861106ddbef

The current SARSCoV-2 (coronavirus disease 2019; formerly 2019-nCoV) outbreak, initially epi-centered in Hubei Province of the People's Republic of China, has spread to various nations worldwide. Due to the rapid rise of the cases, a global health emergency was declared on January 30, 2020. Coronaviruses are enveloped, positive single-stranded large ribonucleic acid (RNA) viruses that contaminate humans and various animals. First descriptions of coronaviruses were dated back to 1966 by Tyrell and Bynoe. The World Health Organization (WHO) coronavirus dashboard reported 773,819,856 confirmed cases globally as of December 31, 2023. Pathogenetically, researchers hypothesized health complications because of direct tissue invasion by the virus mediated by angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 receptor, profound inflammation and cytokine storm, associated immune system injury, the hypercoagulable state explained in association with severe COVID-19, or a multiple factors. Long-term health consequences following COVID-19 are presented in various bodily systems as an array of health complications; cardiovascular (myocardial injury, thromboembolic disease), pulmonary (pulmonary dysfunction—interstitial thickening and evidence of fibrosis, diminished respiratory muscle strength), neurologic (headache, vertigo, and chemosensory dysfunction—anosmia and ageusia, encephalitis and seizure), mental health (malaise and exhaustion akin to chronic fatigue syndrome). COVID-19 imposes a massive threat to health with consequences on mental health, recognizing COVID-19 as a new form of stressor to healthcare professionals. The pandemic threatens to overwhelm healthcare systems and identifying areas where the health burden is anticipated to be high in comparison to the rest of the country is crucial for enabling wise and effective allocation of emergency medical treatment and public health resources. A crucial driver of this outcome will be maintaining the caseload of COVID-19 patients within the healthcare system's treatment capabilities. If the medical system becomes overburdened, the level of service for all people seeking medical care may be decreased, intensifying negative health effects. Digital health can be termed as a "cultural transformation of how disruptive technologies that provide digital and objective data accessible to both caregivers and patients leads to an equal level doctor-patient relationship with shared decision-making and the democratization of care," triggering changes in the way care is delivered and medicine is practiced. Digital health technologies such as telehealth, mHealth, electronic medical records, artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things, and big data/internet contributed to the prevention and control of the COVID-19 pandemic. Three medical activities via digital health technologies like diagnosis, surveillance, and prevention are possible and offer probable solutions to patient care during the current pandemic, as healthcare systems try to limit the spread of COVID-19 by minimizing patient contact and improving hygiene practices. Health digitalization also improves the healthcare system through its time saving and enhanced monitoring feature. Digital innovation imposes risk of exposing society to the harmful side of the health technology advancements. Big data and electronic records could be exploited by irresponsible service providers causing eroded patient privacy and denial of care. Digital public health technologies used for collecting and processing data are encouraged globally by governments and private companies. This acts as a strategy to mitigate the COVID-19 pandemic and aids in reducing the lockdown measures. However, researchers urge the need for practical guidance and propose policy and decision makers for the ethical development of the usage of digital public health tools. © 2025 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.