Table 2 Summary characteristic of included study in literature review
From: Implementations and strategies of telehealth during COVID-19 outbreak: a systematic review
Studies, Years | Study design | Setting | Aim | Strategy/type of telehealth | Personnel involved | Outcomes/ findings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Berg et al., 2020 [8] | Not reported | Pediatric gastroenterology | Discussing implementation of telehealth during COVID-19 pandemic | Telehealth visits Virtual check-in via telephone and audiovisual application, E-visits through an online patient portal | Physicians and nonphysician healthcare providers | Practice recommendations for introducing and expanding telehealth |
Saleem et al., 2020 [9] | Review | Ophthalmology | Discussing telehealth implementation methodologies during COVID-19 pandemic | Telehealth visit (telephone calls) Virtual check-in Digital encounters | Physicians | Teleophthalmology model mapping the telehealth visit cycle |
Goenka et al., 2021 [10] | Retrospective review of cases | Radiation oncology | Implementing a telehealth service during the COVID-19 pandemic | Audio–video and telehealth platform | Physicians | Decrease in billable activity Reduction of in-person visits (from 100 to 21%) |
Hron et al., 2020 [11] | Not reported | Inpatient clinics | Evaluating the implementation of telehealth program in response to COVID-19 pandemic | Videoconferencing system | Physicians and nursing clinical informatics experts | Usefulness of telehealth to perform physical exam, resulting from 1.820 inpatient telehealth sessions (13.3 sessions per 100 bedded days) |
Strohl et al., 2020 [12] | Review | Laryngology | Implementing telemedicine during the COVID-19 Pandemic Learning experiences and implementation of telehealth during the COVID-19 pandemic | Video visit | Provider (ie, laryngologist and/or speech-language pathologist) | Key areas included (1) how to set up and structure a telemedicine visit and maintain patient confidentiality, (2) patient examination and treatment initiation, (3) optimization of the tele-visit, (4) recognition of when a tele-visit is insufficient for patient care needs, (5) billing/reimbursement considerations |
Franciosi et al., 2021 [13] | Cross-sectional | Primary care, pediatric and adult surgical and non-surgical cares | Evaluating the impact of telehealth implementation on underserved populations | Televisits and digital platform | Providers | Changes in patient demographics in telehealth visit, including a younger population, fewer non-English-speaking patients The greatest number of telehealth visits in nonsurgical specialties |
Cassar et al., 2021 [14] | Population-based study | COVID-19 evaluation | Implementing a telemedicine system to protect patients from COVID-19 transmission and to manage the infected patients | Teleworking system based on telephone communications, emails and a shared online database on portal platform | Experienced doctors, including emergency medicine, general medicine and geriatric medicine and an infectious disease specialist | Safely management of infected patients in the community No increased morbidity or mortality related to the medical decisions using this telemedicine tool |
Gentry et al., 2021 [15] | Cross-sectional | Mental health | Examining clinician satisfaction with telehealth services during Covid-19 pandemic | Video telehealth visits | Psychiatrists, psychologists, and mental health counselors | High levels of acceptability, feasibility, and appropriateness of video telehealth in the opinions of clinicians High levels of satisfaction of clinicians with video telehealth visits |
Smith et al., 2021 [16] | Collection of participant questionnaire data | Obstetrics, fetal ultrasound medicine | Evaluating women’s views of fetal ultrasound telemedicine and family costs | Video-conferencing | Fetal medicine specialist Fetal cardiology clinics | High levels of satisfaction of women with video telehealth visits Reduction in family costs and journey times |
Checcucci et al., 2021 [17] | Collection of patient questionnaire data during call | Urology | Assessing the use of telemedicine to follow-up patients with benign urologic diseases during the COVID-19 pandemic | Phone-call visits (phone counselling) | Medical staff | High appreciation by patients for telemedicine (phone visit comprehensibility, usefulness and ease of communication of exams) |
Harris et al., 2020 [18] | Not reported | Post-acute and Long-term care facility for patients with COVID-19 | Reporting systematic protocols for guiding telehealth intervention during the COVID-19 pandemic | Daily multidisciplinary virtual rounds and telemedicine consultation Remote physical examination and videoconferencing | University physicians Telehealth engineers | Lower mortality and hospitalization rates: during a month, 18 out of 48 (38%) facility residents required hospitalization and 6 (12.5%) died No staff required hospitalization |
Basil et al., 2021 [19] | Retrospective review | Neurosurgical evaluation | Providing guidelines to healthcare workers for performing neurological examination via telemedicine during the COVID-19 pandemic | Telehealth visits | Neurosurgeons | Effectiveness of telehealth visits: of 2157 telehealth visits performed in department’s outpatient clinic visits only 26 converted to in-person visits for a more detailed patient evaluation |
Leite et al., 2020 [20] | Viewpoint | COVID-19 evaluation | Discussing the strategic role of telehealth technologies in managing the COVID-19 pandemic | Electronic and telecommunications technologies | Physicians | Telehealth technologies as a frontline ally to avoid the spread of the virus, by tracking, testing and treating |
Cerqueira-Silva et al., 2021 [21] | Case study | COVID-19 evaluation | Describing strategy that combines telehealth and medical training to mitigate the adverse effects of COVID-19 | Tele-screening | Medical students Physicians, including residents and medical doctors | Minimization of interpretation bias and rapid responses in unexpected situations Not required for users to possess education level or be digitally literate in order to access the service |