An overview of reviews on digital health interventions during COVID- 19 era: insights and lessons for future pandemics.

BACKGROUND

The COVID- 19 pandemic has significantly impacted global health, underscoring the crucial role of digital health solutions. The World Health Organization's Classification of Digital Interventions, Services, and Applications in Health (CDISAH) provides a framework for categorizing these technologies. This study aims to analyze the adoption and trends of digital health interventions during the COVID- 19 pandemic, mapping them to the CDISAH framework to identify the most and least utilized interventions and technologies.

METHODS

This overview-of-reviews study was conducted from 1 st January 2020 to 30 th December 2023, focusing on systematic reviews and meta-analyses retrieved from the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, IEEE Xplore, and ProQuest. Additionally, gray literature was identified through searches on the Google Scholar platform and reviewing the citations and reference lists of the included studies. The findings were qualitatively mapped to the CDISAH framework.

RESULTS

A total of 64 review articles were analyzed. A content analysis of the included studies identified 292 codes related to healthcare providers, 257 codes related to data services, 88 codes related to individuals, and 43 codes related to health management and support personnel. The results revealed that the most frequent interventions were associated with telemedicine and data management subcategories, while gaps were identified in areas such as individual-based data reporting during the pandemic, highlighting the need for individuals to take a more active role in managing their own health in preparation for future crises.

CONCLUSIONS

This study identifies both the strengths and weaknesses of the current digital health landscape. It emphasizes the transformative impact of digital health technologies during the COVID- 19 pandemic and provides a roadmap for future improvements in digital health interventions. By providing a comprehensive overview of digital health during this period, the study underscores the importance of implementing robust digital health strategies within the healthcare system to address existing gaps, leverage strengths, and enhance preparedness and resilience in future public health crises.