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. 2023 May 17:9:20552076231173220.
doi: 10.1177/20552076231173220. eCollection 2023 Jan-Dec.

Use of digital technologies for public health surveillance during the COVID-19 pandemic: A scoping review

Lorie Donelle  1   2 , Leigha Comer  2 , Brad Hiebert  2 , Jodi Hall  2 , Jacob J Shelley  3 , Maxwell J Smith  4 , Anita Kothari  4 , Jacquelyn Burkell  5 , Saverio Stranges  6 , Tommy Cooke  7 , James M Shelley  2 , Jason Gilliland  8 , Marionette Ngole  2 , Danica Facca  5
Affiliations

Use of digital technologies for public health surveillance during the COVID-19 pandemic: A scoping review

Lorie Donelle et al. Digit Health. .

Abstract

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, a variety of digital technologies have been leveraged for public health surveillance worldwide. However, concerns remain around the rapid development and deployment of digital technologies, how these technologies have been used, and their efficacy in supporting public health goals. Following the five-stage scoping review framework, we conducted a scoping review of the peer-reviewed and grey literature to identify the types and nature of digital technologies used for surveillance during the COVID-19 pandemic and the success of these measures. We conducted a search of the peer-reviewed and grey literature published between 1 December 2019 and 31 December 2020 to provide a snapshot of questions, concerns, discussions, and findings emerging at this pivotal time. A total of 147 peer-reviewed and 79 grey literature publications reporting on digital technology use for surveillance across 90 countries and regions were retained for analysis. The most frequently used technologies included mobile phone devices and applications, location tracking technologies, drones, temperature scanning technologies, and wearable devices. The utility of digital technologies for public health surveillance was impacted by factors including uptake of digital technologies across targeted populations, technological capacity and errors, scope, validity and accuracy of data, guiding legal frameworks, and infrastructure to support technology use. Our findings raise important questions around the value of digital surveillance for public health and how to ensure successful use of technologies while mitigating potential harms not only in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, but also during other infectious disease outbreaks, epidemics, and pandemics.

Keywords: COVID-19; apps; connected devices; digital health; public health; surveillance; systematic reviews; wearables.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Search terms developed with assistance of health specialist research librarian.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Study selection process.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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