Medical informatics applications in COVID-19 crisis control: Protocol for systematic literature review

Abstract

Introduction: SARS-CoV-2 has disseminated globally, and COVID-19 has been labeled as a public health emergency of global concern by the World Health Organization. Since 2019-nCoV (2019 new coronavirus) has a long incubation period and high infectivity, e-Health and its subsets in medical informatics have evolved as a suitable solution to enable the continuity of health services delivery. Also, new health care models are required during the COVID-19 pandemic. The proposed systematic review aims to examine and summarize evidence related to medical informatics applications in COVID-19 crisis, as evidence-based approaches. Material and Methods: A research team consisting of experts in the fields of medical informatics and systematic review methods were guided this review according to the Cochrane Handbook and PRISMA reporting guidelines. PubMed and Scopus databases were searched. Eligibility criteria for including studies reviewed was randomized and non-randomized controlled trials published in English language. Articles performed on medical informatics applications in COVID-19 pandemic during 2019-2020 were identified. Two independent reviewers will assess articles eligibility and extract data into a spreadsheet using a structured pilot-tested form. Collected data and evidence will be synthesized using a thematic synthesis approach. The risk of bias will be assessed in all included studies using appropriate tools. Results: The literature search led to the identification of a total of 1882 and 854 articles retrieved from the PubMed and Scopus databases, respectively. After removing duplicates, 2716 articles remained and underwent title and abstract screening process. The results of this review are expected to be served as a basis for assisting researchers, decision makers, medical informatics specialists, politicians, and others in developing, implementing, and evaluating IT-based tools and interventions to help medical staff in combating and eradicating COVID-19. Conclusion: This systematic review is the first comprehensive evaluation of MI methods aiming to control and manage covid-19 pandemic. This study highlights applications of medical informatics in pandemic situation and will help future researchers to take the most advantage of using MI in the health system.