An analysis of the development of digital health technologies to fight COVID-19 in Brazil and the world

Abstract

The coronavirus pandemic that struck the world in late 2019 continues to break records of new cases and deaths from the disease. Guidelines for clinical management of infected patients and prevention of new cases focus on measures to control symptoms, hygiene habits, social distancing, and decrease in human crowding. This forced a change in the way health services provide care, generating the incorporation of new health technologies. The Essay thus aims to compile and analyze experiences in the use of digital health technologies to minimize the impacts of COVID-19. The authors identified the development of technological solutions for clinical management of patients, imaging diagnosis, use of artificial intelligence for risk analysis, geolocation apps, data analysis and reports, self-diagnosis, and even orientation for decision-making. The great majority of the initiatives listed here prove effective in minimizing the impacts of COVID-19 on health systems and aim to decrease human crowding and thus facilitate access to services, besides contributing to the incorporation of new health practices and modes of care.