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Please read the article by Jobie Budd, et al. Digital technologies in the public-health response to COVID-19. (2020) Nature Medicine. Vol 26:1183-1192
This article gave examples on the application of digital technologies to enhance COVID-19 surveillance and response. Please give 1 technology or tool that you like most and briefly explain how it works and how important it is.
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The tool that I like most is contact tracing for COVID-19. This system uses proximity detection to trace and detect contact between people. Before this technology, we asked the individual (with highly suspected or confirmed COVID – 19 case) about their timeline (where and when they went, who they have met) to track for other people who are at risk. This kind of investigation relies on human recall, and people who contacted with the index case might not be specified (no details about who contacted and how to reach that person to notify that they are at risk). The newer technology “digital contact tracing” uses location data (Global Positioning System, cellular network) and proximity data collected from Bluetooth in combination to trace the location data and track the contact of an individual who is nearby. If one tests positive for COVID-19 and records their status in the app, the app will send the data that has the recorded timeline and record of contacted people to the server, and the people who have contact with the index case get a notification to quarantine or get tested. This method is much quicker and more accurate compares to human recall.
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I also agree that digital contact tracing is a most interesting technology.
Once the patient is identified, the contact should be quickly traced to prevent further infection. Digital contact tracing automates the tracing process, and it will reduce the difficulties of traditional means which relies on human memory.
The use of Bluetooth technology is especially realistic in terms of privacy which is the biggest concern with the use of the global positioning system (GPS) or cellular networks.
The technology uses Bluetooth signals emitting from nearby devices to record contact events. Centralized apps share information about contacts and contact events with a central server, and when a user reports testing positive for COVID-19, the centralized app uploads information. In contrast, decentralized apps upload only an anonymous identifier of the user who reports testing positive. This identifier is then broadcasted to all users of the app, and it compares the identifier with phone’s contact event records to issue an alert.
However, there remain issues that need to be addressed in order for this system to effectively function such as the need for a large proportion of the population to use it, and the need to define the conditions under which contacts and how much exposure will result in transmission.-
Contact tracing technology is one of the promising digital technologies created in the advent of COVID-19. While it’s mainly built for surveillance, some privacy groups in our country worry about the security of the collected information. Likewise, our contact tracing czar revealed that our national contact tracing app was not able to fulfill its role in surveillance.
We should, however, still develop this technology as it will be largely helpful in the surveillance of other diseases post-pandemic era.
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I think the simplest yet most effective digital technology related to COVID-19 is the use of chat bots. Health care institutions have been hit the hardest by this pandemic in terms of resources, capacity, and manpower. As the cases rise, many people seek consultations online to reach a health care professional and seek medical attention.
Chat bots, such as those implemented by Facebook Messenger, made triaging of information easier and faster. The information needed is already extracted and sifted through layers of questioning which helps the health care professional determine the urgency of the message or request. There is this one project by our Vice President to seek e-consultations and provide COVID-19 care packages (to those who had mild symptoms) with Messenger as the primary platform. A person who intends to seek consultations will just search for the verified profile, answer the prompt questions, and an attending health care professional will get back to the person the soonest. It was well-received by the people because of ease-of-use, accessibility, and fast responses.
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A chatbot is very useful for information giving with frequently asked questions or frequently searched topics. However, the system that you mentioned about matching the patients with attending health care professionals sure helps in answering questions for a specific individual. In my opinion, both systems are essential in this situation and should be implemented together.
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Data visualization tools for decision support are the technology or tool that I like most. This technology is widely used during the COVID-19 pandemic by different countries and organizations. Timely and accurately collecting data are clearly visualized to the different levels of audiences, ranging from the general population to national organization, to use the information for distinct purposes. For the general population, accessing this visualized data can raise their awareness about how fast transmission or areas with a high rate of transmission, preventing their own from getting the infection. At the national level, it can use the visualized data to decide and planning policy actively responding to the COVID-19 epidemic, in terms of healthcare, economy, and society. Properly allocating healthcare resources to the needing area is easily manageable when using these tools.
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The existence of Covid-19 in Indonesia has made the government’s attention to the information system better. stakeholder awareness of the digitization of health information systems is getting better. There are 3 covid information systems in Indonesia, namely the New All Record (NAR) in the form of a laboratory-based information system that records all confirmed cases and their examinations and is connected to the peduli-lindungi application as a health passport application if the results of the examination are negative and have been vaccinated up to the second dose. travelers may travel by plane. In addition, before entering the center of the crowd, everyone is required to scan the barcode of the place and check-in through the Care-Protect application so that the number of people in the building can be monitored.
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One tool that I found really useful is telemedicine, particularly the mobile phone app. It is a free app and has many options of general practitioners, specialists, and even phycologists, that can help you if you need medical consultation. Some telemedicine applications also have 24 hours doctors that can help you if you are feeling unwell in the middle of the night.
The primary health centres also adopt telemedicine to get connected with and monitor COVID-19 patients with mild symptoms that are self-isolated in their own homes. This way, the sick patients do not need to go out to get medical care and have the risk to spread the disease to other people.-
Thank you for sharing. I agree that telemedicine is useful, especially in this pandemic that everyone concerns about health but doesn’t want to go out or visit hospitals. The healthcare professionals can make a video assessment and monitor patients in the safe space and it also increases patient access as well.
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In potential case identifications, digital technology like thermal imaging cameras, infrared sensors, and other wearable technologies are used in airports and other densely populated areas. These technologies detect if the patients are having high fever and are for initial screening purposes. Many countries started digitally connected rapid test, Self swab test, and drive through the test for COVID 19.
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I like Online symptom reporting for rapid case identification. It is simple, the individuals can report their symptoms/suspected cases online or make an assessment. The system can gather information in a large population that is suitable for high transmission disease, to support early and rapid case identification during the pandemic.
However, online reporting is symptom-based case reporting. There is a high chance to get data overload and some are likely to be another disease. Therefore, I think a self scale-based risk assessment should be implemented to classify the probability/risk level of individuals and target on moderate to high-risk patients only. The system also provides further suggestions based on the scale such as low risk (no action), self-quarantine, or self-test. High-rik cases will be suggested/sent data to a hospital nearby to make an appointment for further investigation seriously. In this case, people will understand their personal risk level and how to behave. Also, it will reduce workload for healthcare professionals by filtering low-risk people out. -
In my opinion, digital contact tracing for COVID-19 is the most exciting technology. This technology would facilitate identification and isolation to prevent the spreading of the outbreak by using the Bluetooth-enabled smartphone. In brief, the proximity detection apps will emit the signal to a nearby device to record contact events, and all this information will keep in the central server. When one user reports testing positive for COIVD-19, the other user who had contacted the confirmed case will receive a notification alert and be advised to further management. The importance of this technology is the control of the disease outbreak, especially the COVID-19 and other droplet or airborne transmission outbreaks. However, this technology still has some limitations, such as the distance of contact and the period that had been contacted, which is the critical factor of disease spreading.
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I would say I like digital contact tracing for COVID-19 most. Digital contact tracing helps to digitally track and notify users about the infected person. It is the warning system to help people have more aware of the infection and start to protect themselves. Moreover, those data can be collected to be the database of disease tracking to use in further analysis. Although this technology have many issue that need to be concerned such as the privacy and security or the accuracy of the system, I believe that this technology will more develop and can apply in many situation in the future.
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From my experience as a physician working in home isolation for COVID-19. The most technology I like is a public communication and clinical care. These two technologies help my hospital and healthcare team connect with patients at home. A new wave of COVID-19 patients rises. Patients have mild symptoms due to country-wide vaccination programs, but the number of patients might not decrease. Many patients prefer to quarantine in their houses. The government supports a suite program for connecting with home isolation. The suite program includes the patient’s vital sign and symptom recorder, telemedicine, financial programs. These two technologies make home isolation possible.
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I would like to share my understanding and opinion on the tools called ‘data-visualization’. To make a long story short, the data-visualization tools help us to gather the COVID-19 related data in real time and then analyze the data into digestible information, putting the critical information in one page – called ‘Dashboard’. It supports the decision-making of policymakers in the crucial moment of COVID-19 outbreak. These tools also helps the people to understanding the COVID-19 situation which may raise their awareness of the situation and they may tend to abide by the COVID-19 policy.
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Data Visualization tools for decision support, in my opinion, is the most intriguing tools.
– Data Visualization can demonstrate all data gathered from any range of data center. With well designed visualization, healthcare providers and other stakeholders can see and understand data in all level from smallest picture to the nationwide overall picture. The tools keep everyone on the same page and can improve comprehensive data utilization that lead to the best practice and management. However, to designed the visualization to be simple but comprehensive is very challenging.– Data Visualization can also be an important communication media to communicate to public people. In the outbreak of COVID19, to acknowledge people to realize and aware of current situation is vital.
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