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Telehealth as a Panacea Amidst Global Pandemic (COVID-19) in Africa

Year 2021, Volume: 23 Issue: Special Issue, 43 - 47, 30.03.2021
https://doi.org/10.18678/dtfd.898373

Abstract

Technology is disrupting bringing up a better innovation and strengthening the healthcare services. Telehealth is one of these services. Telehealth can help in times of emergency situations as well as reducing morbidity caused by other diseases other than coronavirus and also constraining its spread as well as sustaining the country's economic development. Although, telehealth is a disruptive innovation, this article aimed to point out why Africa and rest of the world need telehealth to structure out the management of the three phases of health crises (pre, during and post-crises) that must be address to help in economic sustainability, increase accessibility to healthcare and increase in quality of life which in turn reduces costs and easy access to healthcare services either incommunicable, non-communicable, or disastrous situations in the African region. In fighting an outbreak such as this, our study finds that the government of African nations should guarantee all health experts get fitting instruction and preparing; present telehealth accreditation for wellbeing experts; give subsidizing which satisfactorily takes care of the expense of giving telehealth; overhaul clinical models of care; bolster all partners with a viable correspondence; and finally, change the board technique while setting up frameworks to oversee telehealth benefits on a standard premise.

References

  • Chu DKW, Pan Y, Cheng SMS, Hui KPY, Krishnan P, Liu Y, et al. Molecular diagnosis of a novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) causing an outbreak of pneumonia. Clin Chem. 2020;66(4):549-55.
  • who.int [Internet]. World Health Organization. WHO Director-General's opening remarks at the media briefing on COVID-19 - 11 March 2020. [Cited: 2021 Mar 11]. Available from: https://www.who.int/ director-general/speeches/detail/who-director-general-s-opening-remarks-at-the-media-briefing-on-covid-19---11-march-2020
  • Smith AC, Thomas E, Snoswell CL, Haydon H, Mehrotra A, Clemensen J, et al. Telehealth for global emergencies: Implications for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). J Telemed Telecare. 2020;26(5):309-13.
  • Portnoy J, Waller M, Elliott T. Telemedicine in the era of COVID-19. J Allergy Clin Immunol Pract. 2020;8(5):1489-91.
  • hrsa.gov [Internet]. Health Resources and Services Administration. Telehealth Programs. [Cited: 2021 Mar 08]. Available from: https://www.hrsa.gov/rural-health/telehealth
  • medicaid.gov [Internet]. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Telemedicine. [Cited: 2021 Mar 08]. Available from: https://www.medicaid.gov/ medicaid/benefits/telemedicine/index.html
  • gov.uk [Internet]. Public Health England. Coronavirus (COVID-19): What is social distancing? [Cited: 2021 Mar 08]. Available from: https://publichealthmatters. blog.gov.uk/2020/03/04/coronavirus-covid-19-what-is-social-distancing
  • World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for Africa. Atlas of African health statistics 2018: Universal health coverage and the sustainable development goals in the WHO African Region. Brazzaville: WHO Regional Office for Africa; 2018.
  • Doarn CR, Latifi R, Poropatich RK, Sokolovich N, Kosiak D, Hostiuc F, et al. Development and validation of telemedicine for disaster response: The North Atlantic Treaty Organization multinational system. Telemed J E Health. 2018;24(9):657-68.
  • Doarn CR, Latifi R, Hostiuc F, Arafat R, Zoicas C. A multinational telemedicine systems for disaster response: Opportunities and challenges. Amsterdam, Netherlands: IOS Press; 2017.
  • Zhao J, Zhang Z, Guo H, Li Y, Xue W, Ren L, et al. E-health in China: challenges, initial directions, and experience. Telemed J E Health. 2010;16(3):344-9.
  • McDowell JE, Hanna BM, McKeown GC, Tate S. Telehealth: A useful strategy in the management of COPD? Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2009;179:A2380.
  • Koulouri A, Gourgoulianis K, Hatzoglou C, Roupa Z. Telemetric detection of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and investigation of quality of life for people working in shipbuilding industry. Acta Inform Med. 2014;22(5):315-9.
  • Biermann E, Dietrich W, Rihl J, Standl E. Are there time and cost savings by using telemanagement for patients on intensified insulin therapy? A randomised, controlled trial. Comput Methods Programs Biomed. 2002;69(2):137-46.
  • Goldberg LR, Piette JD, Walsh MN, Frank TA, Jaski BE, Smith AL, et al. Randomized trial of a daily electronic home monitoring system in patients with advanced heart failure: the Weight Monitoring in Heart Failure (WHARF) trial. Am Heart J. 2003;146(4):705-12.
  • Inglis SC, Clark RA, McAlister FA, Ball J, Lewinter C, Cullington D, et al. Structured telephone support or telemonitoring programmes for patients with chronic heart failure. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2010;8:CD007228.
  • Kim HS, Shin SJ, Kim SC, An S, Rha SY, Ahn JB, et al. Randomized controlled trial of standardized education and telemonitoring for pain in outpatients with advanced solid tumors. Support Care Cancer. 2013;21(6):1751-9.
  • Zhou X, Snoswell CL, Harding LE, Bambling M, Edirippulige S, Bai X, et al. The role of telehealth in reducing the mental health burden from COVID-19. Telemed J E Health. 2020;26(4):377-9.
  • Maunder RG. Was SARS a mental health catastrophe? Gen Hosp Psychiatry. 2009;31(4):316-7.
  • Rees CS, Maclaine E. A systematic review of videoconference-delivered psychological treatment for anxiety disorders. Aust Psychol. 2015;50(4):259-64.
  • Turgoose D, Ashwick R, Murphy D. Systematic review of lessons learned from delivering tele-therapy to veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder. J Telemed Telecare. 2018;24(9):575-85.
  • Backhaus A, Agha Z, Maglione ML, Repp A, Ross B, Zuest D, et al. Videoconferencing psychotherapy: a systematic review. Psychol Serv. 2012;9(2):111-31.
  • Kauer SD, Mangan C, Sanci L. Do online mental health services improve help-seeking for young people? A systematic review. J Med Internet Res. 2014;16(3):e66.
  • Nikolaidis Y, Efthymiadis G, Angelidis P. Quality assessment of a second opinion telemedicine service. Health Technol. 2019;9:659-78.
  • Lurie N, Carr BG. The role of telehealth in the medical response to disasters. JAMA Intern Med. 2018;178(6):745-6.
  • Klein BC, Busis NA. COVID-19 is catalyzing the adoption of teleneurology. Neurology. 2020;94(21):903-4.
  • Hollander JE, Carr BG. Virtually perfect? Telemedicine for COVID-19. N Engl J Med. 2020;382(18):1679-81.
  • Green T, Hartley N, Gillespie N. Service provider’s experiences of service separation: the case of telehealth. J Serv Res. 2016;19(4):477-94.
  • Wade VA, Eliott JA, Hiller JE. Clinician acceptance is the key factor for sustainable telehealth services. Qual Health Res. 2014;24(5):682-94.
  • Edirippulige S, Brooks P, Carati C, Wade VA, Smith AC, Wickramasinghe S, et al. It's important, but not important enough: eHealth as a curriculum priority in medical education in Australia. J Telemed Telecare. 2018;24(10):697-702.
  • Prochaska JO, Velicer WF. The transtheoretical model of health behavior change. Am J Health Promot. 1997;12(1):38-48.
  • Marcus BH, Selby VC, Niaura RS, Rossi JS. Self-efficacy and the stages of exercise behavior change. Res Q Exerc Sport. 1992;63(1):60-6.
  • Lustria MLA, Noar SM, Cortese J, Van Stee SK, Glueckauf RL, Lee J. A meta-analysis of web-delivered tailored health behavior change interventions. J Health Commun. 2013;18(9):1039-69.
  • Noar SM, Benac CN, Harris MS. Does tailoring matter? Meta-analytic review of tailored print health behavior change interventions. Psychol Bull. 2007;133(4):673-93.
  • Rakowski W. The potential variances of tailoring in health behavior interventions. Ann Behav Med. 1999;21(4):284-9.
  • Dorsey ER, Topol EJ. State of Telehealth. N Engl J Med. 2016;375(2):154-61.

Afrika’da COVID-19 Pandemisine karşı Alternatif Bir Çözüm Olarak Telesağlık Hizmetleri

Year 2021, Volume: 23 Issue: Special Issue, 43 - 47, 30.03.2021
https://doi.org/10.18678/dtfd.898373

Abstract

Teknolojide yaşanan gelişmelerin getirdiği inovasyon, diğer birçok sektörle birlikte sağlık sektöründe de sağlık hizmetlerinin kalitelendirilmesi konusunda kullanılmaktadır. Sağlık sektöründe uygulanan teknolojik uygulamalardan birisi de telesağlık hizmetleridir. Telesağlık hizmetleri acil durumlar başta olmak üzere diğer birçok hastalıkta ve son dönemde yaşamakta olduğumuz koronavirüs pandemisinin yayılmasını azaltmaya yönelik uygulamalar ile daha fazla gündeme gelmekte ve bu olumlu özellikleri nedeniyle de sürdürülebilir kalkınma süreçlerine önemli katkılar sağlamaktadır. Bu çalışmanın amacı Afrika’dan başlamak üzere tüm dünyada uygulanan telesağlık hizmetlerinin pandemi öncesi, pandemi sürecinde ve pandemi sonrası dönemlerde neden telesağlık hizmetlerine etkin şekilde başvurulması gerektiğinin altını çizmektir. Gerçekten de Afrika’nın ulaşılabilen, ulaşılamayan ya da doğal afetler yaşanan birçok bölgesinde etkin, düşük maliyetli, yaşam kalitesinin yükseltilmesini hedefleyen sağlık hizmetlerine daha yüksek erişim sağlamanın yanında ekonomik sürdürülebilirliği de amaçlayan çok güçlü imkanlar sağlaması dolayısıyla telesağlık hizmetleri oldukça dikkat çekici şekilde uygulanmaktadır. Bu çerçevede bu çalışmamızda halen yaşamakta olduğumuz pandemi gibi salgınların yaşanması durumunda tüm Afrika ülkelerinden başlayarak sağlık çalışanlarının telesağlık hizmeti verme konusunda hazırlıklı olması; telesağlık hizmetlerinin tüm ülkelerde akredite olması; telesağlık hizmetlerinin etkin şekilde verilebilmesi için hükümetlerce sübvansiyonların sağlanması; klinik bakım modellerinin gözden geçirilmesi ve son olarak, standart telesağlık hizmetlerini denetlemek için tedbirler, kurallar ve regülasyonların oluşturulması süreçlerinde yönetim kurulu tekniğinin değiştirilmesi hizmetlerin kalitelenmesi açısından üzerinde durulan konular olmuştur.

References

  • Chu DKW, Pan Y, Cheng SMS, Hui KPY, Krishnan P, Liu Y, et al. Molecular diagnosis of a novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) causing an outbreak of pneumonia. Clin Chem. 2020;66(4):549-55.
  • who.int [Internet]. World Health Organization. WHO Director-General's opening remarks at the media briefing on COVID-19 - 11 March 2020. [Cited: 2021 Mar 11]. Available from: https://www.who.int/ director-general/speeches/detail/who-director-general-s-opening-remarks-at-the-media-briefing-on-covid-19---11-march-2020
  • Smith AC, Thomas E, Snoswell CL, Haydon H, Mehrotra A, Clemensen J, et al. Telehealth for global emergencies: Implications for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). J Telemed Telecare. 2020;26(5):309-13.
  • Portnoy J, Waller M, Elliott T. Telemedicine in the era of COVID-19. J Allergy Clin Immunol Pract. 2020;8(5):1489-91.
  • hrsa.gov [Internet]. Health Resources and Services Administration. Telehealth Programs. [Cited: 2021 Mar 08]. Available from: https://www.hrsa.gov/rural-health/telehealth
  • medicaid.gov [Internet]. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Telemedicine. [Cited: 2021 Mar 08]. Available from: https://www.medicaid.gov/ medicaid/benefits/telemedicine/index.html
  • gov.uk [Internet]. Public Health England. Coronavirus (COVID-19): What is social distancing? [Cited: 2021 Mar 08]. Available from: https://publichealthmatters. blog.gov.uk/2020/03/04/coronavirus-covid-19-what-is-social-distancing
  • World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for Africa. Atlas of African health statistics 2018: Universal health coverage and the sustainable development goals in the WHO African Region. Brazzaville: WHO Regional Office for Africa; 2018.
  • Doarn CR, Latifi R, Poropatich RK, Sokolovich N, Kosiak D, Hostiuc F, et al. Development and validation of telemedicine for disaster response: The North Atlantic Treaty Organization multinational system. Telemed J E Health. 2018;24(9):657-68.
  • Doarn CR, Latifi R, Hostiuc F, Arafat R, Zoicas C. A multinational telemedicine systems for disaster response: Opportunities and challenges. Amsterdam, Netherlands: IOS Press; 2017.
  • Zhao J, Zhang Z, Guo H, Li Y, Xue W, Ren L, et al. E-health in China: challenges, initial directions, and experience. Telemed J E Health. 2010;16(3):344-9.
  • McDowell JE, Hanna BM, McKeown GC, Tate S. Telehealth: A useful strategy in the management of COPD? Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2009;179:A2380.
  • Koulouri A, Gourgoulianis K, Hatzoglou C, Roupa Z. Telemetric detection of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and investigation of quality of life for people working in shipbuilding industry. Acta Inform Med. 2014;22(5):315-9.
  • Biermann E, Dietrich W, Rihl J, Standl E. Are there time and cost savings by using telemanagement for patients on intensified insulin therapy? A randomised, controlled trial. Comput Methods Programs Biomed. 2002;69(2):137-46.
  • Goldberg LR, Piette JD, Walsh MN, Frank TA, Jaski BE, Smith AL, et al. Randomized trial of a daily electronic home monitoring system in patients with advanced heart failure: the Weight Monitoring in Heart Failure (WHARF) trial. Am Heart J. 2003;146(4):705-12.
  • Inglis SC, Clark RA, McAlister FA, Ball J, Lewinter C, Cullington D, et al. Structured telephone support or telemonitoring programmes for patients with chronic heart failure. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2010;8:CD007228.
  • Kim HS, Shin SJ, Kim SC, An S, Rha SY, Ahn JB, et al. Randomized controlled trial of standardized education and telemonitoring for pain in outpatients with advanced solid tumors. Support Care Cancer. 2013;21(6):1751-9.
  • Zhou X, Snoswell CL, Harding LE, Bambling M, Edirippulige S, Bai X, et al. The role of telehealth in reducing the mental health burden from COVID-19. Telemed J E Health. 2020;26(4):377-9.
  • Maunder RG. Was SARS a mental health catastrophe? Gen Hosp Psychiatry. 2009;31(4):316-7.
  • Rees CS, Maclaine E. A systematic review of videoconference-delivered psychological treatment for anxiety disorders. Aust Psychol. 2015;50(4):259-64.
  • Turgoose D, Ashwick R, Murphy D. Systematic review of lessons learned from delivering tele-therapy to veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder. J Telemed Telecare. 2018;24(9):575-85.
  • Backhaus A, Agha Z, Maglione ML, Repp A, Ross B, Zuest D, et al. Videoconferencing psychotherapy: a systematic review. Psychol Serv. 2012;9(2):111-31.
  • Kauer SD, Mangan C, Sanci L. Do online mental health services improve help-seeking for young people? A systematic review. J Med Internet Res. 2014;16(3):e66.
  • Nikolaidis Y, Efthymiadis G, Angelidis P. Quality assessment of a second opinion telemedicine service. Health Technol. 2019;9:659-78.
  • Lurie N, Carr BG. The role of telehealth in the medical response to disasters. JAMA Intern Med. 2018;178(6):745-6.
  • Klein BC, Busis NA. COVID-19 is catalyzing the adoption of teleneurology. Neurology. 2020;94(21):903-4.
  • Hollander JE, Carr BG. Virtually perfect? Telemedicine for COVID-19. N Engl J Med. 2020;382(18):1679-81.
  • Green T, Hartley N, Gillespie N. Service provider’s experiences of service separation: the case of telehealth. J Serv Res. 2016;19(4):477-94.
  • Wade VA, Eliott JA, Hiller JE. Clinician acceptance is the key factor for sustainable telehealth services. Qual Health Res. 2014;24(5):682-94.
  • Edirippulige S, Brooks P, Carati C, Wade VA, Smith AC, Wickramasinghe S, et al. It's important, but not important enough: eHealth as a curriculum priority in medical education in Australia. J Telemed Telecare. 2018;24(10):697-702.
  • Prochaska JO, Velicer WF. The transtheoretical model of health behavior change. Am J Health Promot. 1997;12(1):38-48.
  • Marcus BH, Selby VC, Niaura RS, Rossi JS. Self-efficacy and the stages of exercise behavior change. Res Q Exerc Sport. 1992;63(1):60-6.
  • Lustria MLA, Noar SM, Cortese J, Van Stee SK, Glueckauf RL, Lee J. A meta-analysis of web-delivered tailored health behavior change interventions. J Health Commun. 2013;18(9):1039-69.
  • Noar SM, Benac CN, Harris MS. Does tailoring matter? Meta-analytic review of tailored print health behavior change interventions. Psychol Bull. 2007;133(4):673-93.
  • Rakowski W. The potential variances of tailoring in health behavior interventions. Ann Behav Med. 1999;21(4):284-9.
  • Dorsey ER, Topol EJ. State of Telehealth. N Engl J Med. 2016;375(2):154-61.
There are 36 citations in total.

Details

Primary Language English
Subjects Clinical Sciences
Journal Section Invited Review
Authors

Gloria Nnadwa Alhassan 0000-0002-0316-7485

İlknur Öztürk 0000-0002-2079-0383

Festus Fatai Adedoyin 0000-0002-3586-2570

Festus Victor Bekun 0000-0003-4948-6905

Publication Date March 30, 2021
Submission Date January 15, 2021
Published in Issue Year 2021 Volume: 23 Issue: Special Issue

Cite

APA Alhassan, G. N., Öztürk, İ., Adedoyin, F. F., Bekun, F. V. (2021). Telehealth as a Panacea Amidst Global Pandemic (COVID-19) in Africa. Duzce Medical Journal, 23(Special Issue), 43-47. https://doi.org/10.18678/dtfd.898373
AMA Alhassan GN, Öztürk İ, Adedoyin FF, Bekun FV. Telehealth as a Panacea Amidst Global Pandemic (COVID-19) in Africa. Duzce Med J. March 2021;23(Special Issue):43-47. doi:10.18678/dtfd.898373
Chicago Alhassan, Gloria Nnadwa, İlknur Öztürk, Festus Fatai Adedoyin, and Festus Victor Bekun. “Telehealth As a Panacea Amidst Global Pandemic (COVID-19) in Africa”. Duzce Medical Journal 23, no. Special Issue (March 2021): 43-47. https://doi.org/10.18678/dtfd.898373.
EndNote Alhassan GN, Öztürk İ, Adedoyin FF, Bekun FV (March 1, 2021) Telehealth as a Panacea Amidst Global Pandemic (COVID-19) in Africa. Duzce Medical Journal 23 Special Issue 43–47.
IEEE G. N. Alhassan, İ. Öztürk, F. F. Adedoyin, and F. V. Bekun, “Telehealth as a Panacea Amidst Global Pandemic (COVID-19) in Africa”, Duzce Med J, vol. 23, no. Special Issue, pp. 43–47, 2021, doi: 10.18678/dtfd.898373.
ISNAD Alhassan, Gloria Nnadwa et al. “Telehealth As a Panacea Amidst Global Pandemic (COVID-19) in Africa”. Duzce Medical Journal 23/Special Issue (March 2021), 43-47. https://doi.org/10.18678/dtfd.898373.
JAMA Alhassan GN, Öztürk İ, Adedoyin FF, Bekun FV. Telehealth as a Panacea Amidst Global Pandemic (COVID-19) in Africa. Duzce Med J. 2021;23:43–47.
MLA Alhassan, Gloria Nnadwa et al. “Telehealth As a Panacea Amidst Global Pandemic (COVID-19) in Africa”. Duzce Medical Journal, vol. 23, no. Special Issue, 2021, pp. 43-47, doi:10.18678/dtfd.898373.
Vancouver Alhassan GN, Öztürk İ, Adedoyin FF, Bekun FV. Telehealth as a Panacea Amidst Global Pandemic (COVID-19) in Africa. Duzce Med J. 2021;23(Special Issue):43-7.

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