Telehealth for COVID-19: A Conceptual Framework

Abstract

The world has been going through the global crisis of the coronavirus (COVID-19). It is a challenging situation for every country to tackle its healthcare system. COVID-19 spreads through physical contact with COVID-positive patients and causes potential damage to the country's health and economy system. Therefore, to overcome the chance of spreading the disease, the only preventive measure is to maintain social distancing. In this vulnerable situation, virtual resources have been utilized in order to maintain social distance, i.e., the telehealth system has been proposed and developed to access healthcare services remotely and manage people's health conditions. The telehealth system could become a regular part of our healthcare system, and during any calamity or natural disaster, it could be used as an emergency response to deal with the catastrophe. For this purpose, we proposed a conceptual telehealth framework in response to COVID-19. We focused on identifying critical issues concerning the use of telehealth in healthcare setups. Furthermore, the factors influencing the implementation of the telehealth system have been explored in detail. The proposed telehealth system utilizes artificial intelligence and data science to regulate and maintain the system efficiently. Before implementing the telehealth system, it is required that prearrangements be made, such as appropriate funding measures, the skills to know technological usage, training sessions, and staff endorsement. The barriers and influencing factors provided in this article can be helpful for future developments in telehealth systems and for making fruitful progress in fighting pandemics like COVID-19. At the same time, the same approach can be used to save the lives of many frontline workers.

Figure 1

Main barriers to the implementation of telehealth systems. Interrelated factors are responsible for the successful/unsuccessful implementation of the telehealth system. (a) Incorporating new technology requires skills, up-to-date individuals, security, and protection. (b) Lack of strategies, design, and professional conflicts in the organization. (c) High Cost, nonavailability of funds and risk factors of economic investments. (d) Denial of change, conflict of interests, job insecurity, workload, and skeptical attitude.

Figure 2

Factors assisting the development of telehealth system. Streamlined aims, capable leadership, effective cooperation, beneficial strategies, minimal complexities, scientific contribution, professional environment, acceptance of culture, resources, and rigorous evaluation can significantly regulate the implementation of telehealth system in the pandemic situation of Covid-19.

Figure 3

Proposed telehealth framework for COVID-19. 1. Aims to know the degree of urgency through artificial intelligence-based questionnaires for treatment according to a, b, and c. 2. The main telehealth system consists of senior medical experts' teams for deciding on other processes. 3. Facilitates the patients declared to be of low severity through online consultation of expert nursing and general practitioners' staff. 4. Responsible for diagnosing patients declared to be of high severity using Tele-ICU/CCU/radiology. 5. Provides quick access to highly technologized artificial intelligence labs to perform real-time medical image analysis and generate annotated reports of patients to assist the medical experts. 6. Organize training and seminars regarding any updates. 7. Study the comprehensive data of patients to generate useful statistics.