Sustained engagement and promotion by healthcare professionals are essential for the advancement of telemedicine. Post coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, the preference for in-person care highlights the need for research on healthcare professionals' sustained telemedicine attitudes. This study assessed healthcare professionals' continued willingness to participate in and recommend telemedicine post-pandemic and identified factors influencing their decisions. From September to October 2023, a cross-sectional study was conducted among 560 healthcare professionals, with samples recruited from 230 hospitals across 11 provinces in China using a multi-stage sampling method. Overall, 518 (92.5%) of 560 respondents expressed their willingness to continue participating in telemedicine, and nearly all respondents (93.5%) displayed a willingness to recommend telemedicine to those in need. The results showed that perceived usefulness, subjective norms, patient coverage, and satisfaction were positively associated with healthcare professionals' willingness to continue participating in and recommend telemedicine. Satisfaction and subjective norms play a partial mediating role in the effect of usefulness on willingness to continue participating in and recommend telemedicine. Patient coverage partially mediates relationship between usefulness and willingness to recommend telemedicine. Chinese healthcare professionals exhibited a generally high level of willingness to continue participating in and to recommend telemedicine. To further enhance this willingness, it is essential to improve their perceptions of telemedicine's usefulness, increase their satisfaction with the technology, and emphasize the roles of subjective norms. Moreover, broadening patient access to telemedicine services will be crucial in promoting healthcare professionals' recommendations.

China's healthcare resources are limited and unevenly distributed, with a notable urban-rural gap. Enterprise-led internet healthcare platforms have become an important solution for optimizing resource allocation, improving accessibility, and enhancing efficiency in mainland China. However, detailed analysis of their online consultation services from both healthcare provider and patient perspectives is still lacking.

The online consultation data of an enterprise-led internet healthcare platform was depicted and analyzed to understand the temporal trend and current situation of enterprise-led internet healthcare development in mainland China, which provided insights for the further development of internet healthcare.

We gathered information from an enterprise-led internet healthcare platform (i.e., Good Doctor Online) covering the period from January 2008 to December 2022, including the characteristics of doctors, healthcare institutions, and patients. Based on the above data, we sketched and analyzed the situation of online consultation services provided by the enterprise-led internet healthcare platform in mainland China.

A total of 149,890 doctors from 7,584 healthcare institutions provided 40,462,801 online consultations from January 2008 to December 2022. Doctors and healthcare institutions providing online consultation services were primarily distributed in the economically developed eastern and southern provinces of China. Doctors with intermediate (30.15%) and senior titles (58.12%) were the main providers of online consultations and most doctors were from tertiary hospitals (88.18%). The consultation price {median [interquartile range (IQR)]} was 49.00 (15.00, 100.00) RMB. The health issues with the highest consultation frequency included upper respiratory tract infections or fever (16.19%), gynecological disorders (11.98%), and skin diseases (8.65%), with variations in gender and age. The age distribution of patients showed two peaks in age groups <5 years and 20-39 years, with the median age (IQR) 29.00 (19.00-43.00) years.

Enterprise-led internet healthcare platforms enhance access to care and reduce offline resource strain, especially during COVID-19. They mainly address non-urgent conditions but cannot fully replace in-person care. Policies should focus on increasing elderly participation, engaging senior doctors, optimizing male-oriented services, expanding access to underserved areas, standardizing pricing, and broadening insurance reimbursement coverage to improve equity and sustainability.

Aging in older adults results in a decline in physical function and quality of daily life. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the exercise frequency among older adults decreased, further contributing to frailty. Traditional rehabilitation using repetitive movements tends not to attract older adults to perform independently.

Intelligent Rehabilitation Exergame System (IRES), a novel retro interactive exergame that incorporates real-time surface electromyography, was developed and evaluated.

Frail older adults were invited to use the IRES for rehabilitation using lower limb training twice per week for 4 weeks. Participants were required to have no mobility or communication difficulties and be willing to complete the 4-week study. The enrolled cohort had baseline scores ranging from 1 to 5 on the Clinical Frailty Scale, as described by Rockwood et al. Three major lower limb movements (knee extension, plantar flexion, and dorsiflexion) were performed 20 times for each leg within 30 minutes. The surface electromyography collected and analyzed muscle potential signals for review by health care professionals to customize the protocol for the next training. The System Usability Scale (SUS) and Taiwanese version of the EuroQol-5 Dimensions (EQ-5D) were administered after completing the first (week 1, baseline) and last training (week 4, one-month follow-up) to evaluate the usability of the IRES and its effects on the quality of life of participants.

A total of 49 frail older adults (mean age 74.6 years) were included in the analysis. The usability of the IRES improved according to the mean SUS score, from 82.09 (good) at baseline to 87.14 (good+) at 1-month follow-up. The willingness to use (t96=-4.51; P<.001), learnability (t96=-4.83; P<.001), and confidence (t96=-2.27; P=.02) in working with the IRES increased. After using the IRES for 1 month, significant improvements were observed in the ease of use (t47=2.05; P=.04) and confidence (t47=2.68; P<.001) among participants without previous rehabilitation experience. No sex-based differences in the SUS scores were found at baseline or 1-month follow-up. The quality of life, as assessed by the EQ-5D, improved significantly after 1 month of IRES training compared to that at baseline (t96=6.03; P<.001).

The novel IRES proposed in this study received positive feedback from frail older adults. Integrating retro-style exergame training into rehabilitation not only improved their rehabilitation motivation but also increased their learning, system operability, and willingness to continue rehabilitation. The IRES provides an essential tool for the new eHealth care service in the post-COVID-19 era.

COVID-19 created an opportunity for using teleconsultation as an alternative way of accessing expert medical advice. Bangladesh has seen a 20-fold increase in the use of teleconsultation during the pandemic.

The aim of our study was to assess the influence of service quality and user satisfaction on the intention to use teleconsultation in the future among users of national teleconsultation services during the pandemic.

A cross-sectional survey was conducted in 2020 among users of the national teleconsultation service-Shastho Batayon for acute respiratory infection. A validated mobile health service quality model based on structural equation modeling and confirmatory factor analysis was used to analyze the data with SmartPLS (version 3.0).

Among the 2097 study participants, 1646 (78.5%) were male, 1416 (67.5%) were aged 18-39 years, 1588 (75.7%) were urban residents, 1348 (64.2%) had more than 10 years of schooling, and 1657 (79%) were from middle-income households. From a consumer perspective, the quality of the service platform (β=.946), service interaction (β=.974), and outcome (β=.955) contributed to service quality. Service quality was positively associated with user satisfaction (β=.327; P<.001) and intention to use teleconsultation services (β=.102; P<.001). User satisfaction was positively associated with the intention to use teleconsultation services (β=.311; P<.001).

The increase in the use of teleconsultation during the pandemic indicated that such services were potentially used for emergencies. However, the future use of teleconsultation will be dependent on the quality of service and user satisfaction. Our findings are relevant for low-income contexts where teleconsultation services are used to address gaps in service delivery.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, people with chronic conditions experienced delayed or missed care, while their carers endured social isolation, loneliness, and reduced support. Information communication technology (ICT) can be utilized to encourage continuity of care, address misinformation, and allocate support. This study aimed to identify factors associated with the ICT adaptation of South Asian carers of individuals with chronic conditions by comparing changes in ICT utilization and preferences before and during the pandemic.

416 South Asian carers reporting feelings of loneliness and isolation were identified from the Coping with Loneliness, Isolation and Covid-19 (CLIC) online survey. Descriptive statistics and multinomial regression models were utilized.

The most commonly used ICT modality was auditory, followed by written and audio-visual. Four variables identified were: social network size and relationship proximity, Covid-19-induced distress, age, and living arrangements. We identified a negative correlation between social network size and ICT frequency/intensity, reductions in communication frequency/intensity associated with Covid-19-induced distress, working-age carer (18-60) preference adaptation toward written communication during the pandemic, written and auditory ICT fluency in carers spending time alone by choice, and aversion from auditory ICT in carers who lived and were often alone involuntarily.

The findings provide insights into South Asian carers' ICT usage, preferences, and adaptation in response to the pandemic. The findings aid in the development of health and social care pathways that fulfil local caregivers' unmet support and resource needs.

To date, the differentiated requirements for network performance in various health care service scenarios-within, outside, and between hospitals-remain a key challenge that restricts the development and implementation of digital medical services.

This study aims to construct and implement a private 5G (the 5th generation mobile communication technology) standalone (SA) medical network in a smart health environment to meet the diverse needs of various medical services.

Based on an analysis of network differentiation requirements in medical applications, the system architecture and functional positioning of the proposed private 5G SA medical network are designed and implemented. The system architecture includes the development of exclusive and preferential channels for medical use, as well as an ordinary user channel. A 3-layer network function architecture is designed, encompassing resource, control, and intelligent operation layers to facilitate management arrangements and provide network open services. Core technologies, including edge cloud collaboration; service awareness; and slicing of access, bearer, and core networks, are employed in the construction and application of the 5G SA network.

The construction of the private 5G SA medical network primarily involves system architecture, standards, and security measures. The system, featuring exclusive, preferential, and common channels, supports a variety of medical applications. Relevant standards are adhered to in order to ensure the interaction and sharing of medical service information. Security is achieved through mechanisms such as authentication, abnormal behavior analysis, and dynamic access control. Three typical medical applications that rely on the 5G network in intrahospital, interhospital, and out-of-hospital scenarios-namely, mobile ward rounds, remote first aid, and remote ultrasound-were conducted. Testing of the 5G-enabled mobile ward rounds showed an average download rate of 790 Mbps and an average upload rate of 91 Mbps. Compared with 4G, the 5G network more effectively meets the diverse requirements of various business applications in prehospital emergency scenarios. For remote ultrasound, the average downlink rate of the 5G network is 4.82 Mbps, and the average uplink rate is 2 Mbps, with an average fluctuation of approximately 8 ms. The bandwidth, performance, and delay of the 5G SA network were also examined and confirmed to be effective.

The proposed 5G SA medical network demonstrates strong performance in typical medical applications. Its construction and application could lead to the development of new medical service models and provide valuable references for the further advancement and implementation of 5G networks in other industries, both in China and globally.

Telemedicine provides remote health care services to overcome constraints of time and space in accessing medical care. Similarly, internet hospitals in China support and provide remote health care services. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a proliferation of internet hospitals. Many new services, including online consultations and regular online follow-up visit services, can now be accessed via internet hospitals in China. However, the accessibility, cost, and quality advantages of regular online follow-up visit services remain unclear.

This study aimed to evaluate the accessibility, costs, and quality of an online regular follow-up visit service provided by an internet hospital in China. By analyzing the accessibility, costs, and quality of this service from the supply and demand sides, we can summarize the practical and theoretical experiences.

A mixed methods study was conducted using clinical records from 18,473 patients receiving 39,239 online regular follow-up visit services at an internet hospital in 2021, as well as interviews with 7 physicians, 2 head nurses, and 3 administrative staff members. The quantitative analysis examined patient demographics, diagnoses, prescriptions, geographic distribution, physician characteristics, accessibility (travel time and costs), and service hours. The qualitative analysis elucidated physician perspectives on ensuring the quality of online health care.

Patients were predominantly middle-aged men with chronic diseases like viral hepatitis who were located near the hospital. The vast majority were from Guangdong province where the hospital is based, especially concentrated in Guangzhou city. The online regular follow-up visit service reduced travel time by 1 hour to 9 hours and costs by ¥6 to ¥991 (US $0.86-$141.32) depending on proximity, with greater savings for patients farther from the hospital. Consultation times were roughly equivalent between online and in-person visits. Physicians provided most online services during lunch breaks (12 PM to 2 PM) or after work hours (7 PM to 11 PM), indicating increased workload. The top departments providing online regular follow-up visit services were Infectious Diseases, Rheumatology, and Dermatology. The most commonly prescribed medications aligned with the prevalent chronic diagnoses. To ensure quality, physicians conducted initial in-person consultations to fully evaluate patients before allowing online regular follow-up visits, during which they communicated with patients to assess conditions and determine if in-person care was warranted. They also periodically reminded patients to come in person for more comprehensive evaluations. However, they acknowledged online visits cannot fully replace face-to-face care.

Telemedicine services such as online regular follow-up visit services provided by internet hospitals must strictly adhere to fundamental medical principles of diagnosis, prescription, and treatment. For patients with chronic diseases, online regular follow-up visit services improve accessibility and reduce cost but cannot fully replace in-person evaluations. Physicians leverage various strategies to ensure the quality of online care.

Center-based rehabilitation is limited by COVID-19 infectivity and social distancing policy. We hypothesized that discharged patients benefit from 8-week home-based tele-rehabilitation (tele-PR) using mobile phones and low-cost instruments.

The TERCOV (Tele-rehabilitation in COVID-19 survivors) is an investigator-initiated, prospective, multi-center, real-world study. After proper assessment, 186 discharge patients received tele-PR by smartphone, including breathing exercise, respiratory muscle training, aerobic exercise, and resistance training. Physicians, physiotherapists, and nurses provided guidance through smartphone applications. The primary outcome was six-minute walk distance (6MWD). The secondary outcomes included hand grip, short physical performance battery, maximal inspiratory pressure, maximal expiratory pressure, self-rating anxiety/depression scale (SAS/SDS), 36-item short-form health survey (SF-36) and international physical activity questionnaire.

Dyspnea subgroups were more functionally impaired. After tele-PR, improvements were observed in exercise capacity(∆6MWD: 16.80 m, 95% CI 1.18-32.42, p < 0.0001), limb muscle function (∆SPPB 0.25 points, 95% CI 0.05-0.46), respiratory muscle strength (∆MIP 16.50 cm H2O, 95% CI 9.22-23.78, p < 0.0001; ∆MEP: 12.09 cm H2O, 95% CI 3.48-20.70, p = 0.0002), health-related quality of life (∆SF-36 49.85, 95% CI: 21.01-78.69, p < 0.0001), physical activity(∆HEPA 13.01%, p = 0.0029). Anxiety reduced in patients with mMRC ≥ 2 (∆SAS = -4.19 points, CI -8.16 to -0.22, p = 0.03). Greater change was seen in dyspnea patients.

Supervised/semi-supervised tele-PR is a promising option during the pandemic. Patients with Dyspnea benefit more.

Telemedicine is a growing segment of the healthcare industry. As telemedicine gains prominence in Japan, the importance of telemedicine patient satisfaction research will also grow. This study examines whether Japanese patients are equally impacted by the same latent dimensions discovered in the multi-dimensional service satisfaction model used by a United States (U.S.) study.

The subjects (n = 110) were patients who received telemedicine service between January and December 2023 at Juntendo University Hospital, Tokyo, Japan. Patient satisfaction perceptions were collected using a questionnaire composed of Likert scale items. Overall patient satisfaction served as the dependent variable, and patient perceptions of various aspects of the service were the independent variables. LASSO regression analysis was used to test the impact of the independent variables on overall patient satisfaction along with cluster analysis to examine the satisfaction ratings based upon patient characteristics.

Japanese patient perceptions of telemedicine health benefits were the most impactful driver of overall satisfaction. Cluster analysis indicated that males were generally more satisfied than females. The least satisfied patients were predominately female and those experiencing telemedicine for the first time. Patients receiving service from a specialist physician were least satisfied with the telemedicine financial costs.

Patient satisfaction levels were found to be highly impacted by perceptions of the health benefits received and the non-financial costs of service. These benefits could be highlighted by Japanese telemedicine providers to increase utilization of telemedicine services. Patient satisfaction was also found to be influenced by patient-centered care (ie, the "soft skills" of providers) to a lesser degree. Therefore, Japanese telemedicine providers may benefit from developing patient-centered communication skills.

The model used provides nuanced understandings of telemedicine patient satisfaction, which highlights where targeted improvements in Japanese telemedicine patient satisfaction are likely to be most impactful.

Advancements in technology have overcome geographical barriers, making telemedicine, which offers remote emergency services, healthcare, and medication guidance, increasingly popular. COVID-19 restrictions amplified its global importance by bridging distances.

This study aimed to analyze Chinese and global literature data, present new global telemedicine research trends, and clarify the development potential, collaborations, and deficiencies in China's telemedicine research.

We conducted bibliometrics and network analyses on relevant documents from the Web of Science database from 2001 to 2022. Data collection was completed on October 30, 2023. Considering COVID-19's impact, 2020 was used as a baseline, dividing the data into 2 periods: 2001-2019 and 2020-2022. The development potential was determined based on publication trends. An international coauthorship network analysis identified collaboration statuses and potential. Co-occurrence analysis was conducted for China and the world.

We identified 25,333 telemedicine-related research papers published between 2001 and 2022, with a substantial increase during the COVID-19 period (2020-2022), particularly in China (1.93-fold increase), moving its global publication rank from tenth to sixth. The United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia contributed 62.96% of the literature, far ahead of China's 3.90%. Globally, telemedicine research increased significantly post-2020. Between 2001 and 2019, the United States and Australia were central in coauthor networks; post-2020, the United States remained the largest node. Network hubs included the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, and Canada. Keyword co-occurrence analysis revealed 5 global clusters from 2001 to 2019 (system technology, health care applications, mobile health, mental health, and electronic health) and 2020 to 2022 (COVID-19, children's mental health, artificial intelligence, digital health, and rehabilitation of middle-aged and older adults). In China, the research trends aligned with global patterns, with rapid growth post-2020. From 2001 to 2019, China cooperated closely with Indonesia, India, Japan, Taiwan, and South Korea. From 2020 to 2022, cooperation expanded to Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, and South Korea, as well as Saudi Arabia, Egypt, South Africa, Ghana, Lebanon, and other African and Middle Eastern countries. Chinese keyword co-occurrence analysis showed focus areas in system technology, health care applications, mobile health, big data analysis, and electronic health (2001-2019) and COVID-19, artificial intelligence, digital health, and mental health (2020-2022). Although psychology research increased, studies on children's mental health and middle-aged and older adults' rehabilitation were limited.

We identified the latest trends in telemedicine research, demonstrating its significant potential in China and providing directions for future development and collaborations in telemedicine research.

The COVID-19 pandemic is bringing about substantial changes in health care systems, leading to a significant shift toward telemedicine for the delivery of health care services.

This study aims to examine the relationship between perceived usefulness and ease of use of telemedicine services and their association with the behavioral intention to use telemedicine.

An anonymous cross-sectional survey was conducted in China. Partial least squares structural equation modeling was used to determine significant predictors of intention to use telemedicine consultation. Types of illnesses that favored seeking telemedicine consultation, as well as the most preferred platform for conducting telemedicine consultations, were also investigated.

In total, 1006 participants completed the survey. A total of 44.3% (n=446) reported being very likely and 49.3% (n=496) reported being likely to seek telemedicine consultation. Overall, the majority of participants expressed strong agreement or agreement regarding the perceived usefulness of telemedicine. Likewise, the majority indicated strong agreement or agreement when it came to their perception of the ease of using telemedicine. In the partial least squares structural equation modeling, perceived usefulness (β=0.322; P<.001) and perceived ease of use (β=0.118; P=.01) were significantly associated with a higher likelihood of seeking telemedicine consultation. A considerable number of participants expressed willingness to use telemedicine services for various medical conditions, particularly respiratory (n=340, 33.8%), skin (n=316, 31.4%), and musculoskeletal issues (n=316, 31.4%) while showing less interest in seeking telemedicine consultations for reproductive health (n=44, 4.4%) and cancer (n=64, 6.4%). The majority preferred video chat (n=443, 44%) and text chat (n=317, 31.5%) as their most preferred platforms for telemedicine consultation, while a smaller proportion preferred telephone (n=193, 19.2%) and email (n=53, 5.3%).

Telemedicine has the potential to play a larger role in China's health care system. The preferences for certain platforms over others may influence service design and implementation.

The telehealth service increased attention both during and after the Covid-19 outbreak. Nevertheless, there is a dearth of research in developing countries, including Pakistan. Hence, the objective of this study was to examine telehealth service quality dimensions to promote the telehealth behavior intention and sustainable growth of telehealth in Pakistan.

This study employed a cross-sectional descriptive design. Data were collected from doctors who were delivering telehealth services through a well-designed questionnaire. To examine the hypothesis of the study, we employed the Smart PLS structural equation modeling program, namely version 0.4.

The study findings indicate that medical service quality, affordability, information quality, waiting time, and safety have a positive impact on the intention to engage in telehealth behavior. Furthermore, the adoption of telehealth behavior has a significant favorable effect on the actual utilization of telehealth services, which in turn has a highly good impact on sustainable development.

The study determined that telehealth services effectively decrease the amount of time and money spent on travel, while still offering convenient access to healthcare. Furthermore, telehealth has the potential to revolutionize payment methods, infrastructure, and staffing in the healthcare industry. Implementing a well-structured telehealth service model can yield beneficial results for a nation and its regulatory efforts in the modern age of technology.

Telemedicine is beneficial for improving treatment efficiency and reducing medical expenses of cancer patients. This study focuses on cancer patients participating in teleconsultations through a regional telemedicine platform in China, analyzes the consultation process, and provides references for the clinical application of telemedicine.

We collected information on teleconsultations of cancer patients conducted from 2015 to 2022 through the regional telemedicine platform. Utilizing SPSS 23.0 software, we conducted descriptive analysis to summarize the distribution of patient gender, age, region, and disease types. The ordinal logistic regression analysis was adopted to analyze the factors influencing the waiting time and consultation duration for teleconsultations.

From 2015 to 2022, a total of 23,060 teleconsultations were conducted for cancer patients via regional telemedicine platform, with an average growth rate of 11.09%. The main types of consultations were for lung cancer, liver cancer, and breast cancer, accounting for 18.14%, 10.49%, and 9.46% respectively. 57.05% of teleconsultations had a waiting time of less than 24 h, while patient age, consultation expert level, and disease type were the main factors influencing the waiting time. 50.06% of teleconsultations had a duration of more than 20 min, and the inviting hospital level and the title of invited consultant were the main factors influencing the consultation duration.

In China, telemedicine has been widely employed in the clinical diagnosis and treatment of cancers, covering various types of oncological diseases. However, the waiting time for teleconsultations was generally more than 12 h, indicating the need to enhance consultation scheduling and allocate more expert resources to further optimize the efficiency of teleconsultations. Additionally, further exploration is required for remote health management of outpatients with cancers outside the hospital.

To investigate the status quo and the needs of medical imaging technicians (MITs) in the radiology department of secondary and tertiary hospitals in China, so as to provide references and support for the development of the medical imaging technology industry and the relevant policymaking by health administrative departments.

The questionnaire was developed by the Chinese Society of Imaging Technology. The radiology department of each hospital involved in the survey recommended one MIT to fill out the online questionnaire. The contents included: (a) the basic information of the hospital; (b) a general overview of the MITs in the hospital; (c) daily work; (d) career development and promotion; (e) research status and needs, etc. Differences in the number of MIT staff were compared using the Mann-Whitney U test and the chi-square test was used to compare the differences in the selected numbers of MITs in need between regions or between different levels of hospitals.

In this investigation, valid questionnaires were finally obtained from a total of 5403 hospitals in 31 provinces in China. The total number of MITs of the hospitals covered in the sample was 67481. The number of MITs in each hospital was 9 (5, 16). The male-to-female ratio was 1.41:1. MITs who were 20 to 40 years old accounted for 78%. The proportions of MITs who had completed doctorate, master's, undergraduate, junior college, and technical secondary school or lower level education were 0.6%, 3.3%, 60.7%, 30.8%, and 4.55%, respectively. The proportions of chief MITs, deputy chief MITs, supervisor MITs, primary MITs, assistant technician and those below were 1.0%, 4.21%, 22.1%, 51.8%, and 20.9%, respectively. The overall professional satisfaction of MITs was good. "Lack of opportunities for learning and communication" was quoted as the main problem MITs encountered in regard to improving their job-related competency. 59.2% of the respondents had not published any academic papers in the past five years, and only 7.0% of the respondents had published in journals included in the Science Citation Index (SCI) in the past five years.

MITs in China are on average relatively young and the number of MITs has greatly increased. At this stage, more attention should be given to the cultivation of talents and continuing education of MITs and the construction of the discipline should be further strengthened, so as to provide strong support for the development of the medical imaging technology industry in China.

Introduction: Data on patient satisfaction with the provision of genetic consultations using telemedicine are limited, especially those involving children. We compared patient satisfaction rates with telemedicine services versus traditional in-person encounters. Methods: A cross-sectional questionnaire-based study was conducted between January and June 2020. Questionnaires were distributed online to 1,672 consecutive patients who had received genetic counseling at our Genetics Institute in the clinical fields of adult and pediatric genetics, oncogenetics, and prenatal genetics, through in-person and/or telemedicine consultation. We used Likert scale with scores of 4-5 representing "satisfied"-"very satisfied" and 1-2 representing "very unsatisfied"-"unsatisfied." Results: The response rate was 27.3% (400 adults and 57 children <18 years), including 330 who had received in-person consultations (72.2%), 80 telemedicine consultations (17.5%), and 47 both consultations (10.3%). Mean satisfactory scores of 4-5 were reported by 82.1% in the in-person group versus 82.5% in the telemedicine group (p = 0.88). Mean scores of 1-2 were reported by 6.3% in the in-person group versus 11.2% in the telemedicine group (p = 0.31). No pediatric telemedicine group patient (n 12 = ) gave scores of 1-2 compared with 2/33 (6%) patients who had in-person pediatric consultations (p = 0.62). Most responders who had been counseled through telemedicine (n = 127, 84%) indicated willingness to use genetic services through telemedicine again. Conclusions: Users of genetic counseling through telemedicine, especially in the pediatric age group, were very satisfied at rates comparable to those of in-person consultations. Future research should evaluate patient compliance and views according to session type, information provided (e.g., diagnostic vs. negative results), and its nature (good vs. bad news).

The COVID-19 pandemic further propelled the recent growth of telemedicine in low-resource countries, with new models of telemedicine emerging, including volunteer-based telemedicine networks. By leveraging existing infrastructure and resources to allocate health personnel more efficiently, these volunteer networks eased some of the pandemic burden placed on health systems. However, there is insufficient understanding of volunteer-based telemedicine models, especially on the human resources engagement on such networks. This study aims to understand the motivations and barriers to health practitioner engagement on a volunteer telemedicine network during COVID-19, and the mechanisms that can potentially sustain volunteer engagement to address healthcare demands beyond the pandemic.

In-depth qualitative interviews were conducted with health practitioners volunteering on an Indian, multi-state telemedicine network during the COVID-19 pandemic. Data were analyzed using thematic content analysis methods.

Most practitioners reported being motivated to volunteer by a sense of duty to serve during the pandemic. Practitioners suggested organizational-level measures to make the process more efficient and facilitate a more rewarding provider-patient interaction. These included screening calls, gathering patient information prior to consultations, and allowing for follow-up calls with patients to close the loop on consultations. Many practitioners stated that non-financial incentives are enough to maintain volunteer engagement. However, practitioners expressed mixed feelings about financial incentives. Some stated that financial incentives are needed to maintain long-term provider engagement, while others stated that financial incentives would devalue the volunteer experience. Most practitioners highlighted that telemedicine could increase access to healthcare, especially to the rural and underserved, even after the pandemic. Practitioners also expressed an interest in continuing to volunteer with the network if the need arose again.

Our study findings suggest that practitioners are highly intrinsically motivated to volunteer during large healthcare emergencies and beyond to address the healthcare needs of the underserved. Following the recommendations presented in the study, telemedicine networks can more successfully engage and maintain volunteer practitioners. Volunteer-based telemedicine networks have the potential to bridge shortages of health personnel in resource-constrained settings both in times of crises and beyond.

Chile did not adopt general and unified lockdowns for the whole nation but organized itself with dynamic and sometimes irregular lockdowns. These dynamics and consequences of social isolation could be generalized to other contexts of isolation such as those affecting minorities such as immigrants, prisoners, refugees.

In this study, we investigated the physical and mental health symptoms associated with lifestyle changes due to lockdown among university students in Chile. We examined psychopathological variations in relation to mental health problems in a healthy young population. Our goal was to develop interventions to address these new psychosocial problems in potentially comparable post-pandemic contexts. From May 10th 2021 to June 2th 2021, 420 University students took part in an anonymous survey asking for information on habits and symptoms that emerged during the lockdown in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Three health outcomes were assessed: digestive disorders; headache; fear of COVID-19. Covariates including conditions and lifestyle during the pandemic, SARS-CoV-2 infections in the family, financial situation and productivity were considered in the analysis.

Participants experienced headache and fear of COVID-19 quite frequently during the lockdown period. More than half of the sample also experienced social isolation. Female gender, sleep quality, memory difficulties, and a change in eating habits resulted associated with an increased risk of health outcomes such as headaches and digestive disorders.

The results of this study fit within an original pandemic context: The results of this study can help identify needs and promote solutions applicable to different contexts. Future interventions should focus on the promotion and implementation of healthy habits focused on sleep hygiene, psychoeducation on the use of mobile devices and gender medicine with the support of healthcare organizations and University.

Cardiometabolic diseases (CMDs) are the major types of non-communicable diseases, contributing to huge disease burdens in the Western Pacific region (WPR). The use of digital health (dHealth) technologies, such as wearable gadgets, mobile apps, and artificial intelligence (AI), facilitates interventions for CMDs prevention and treatment. Currently, most studies on dHealth and CMDs in WPR were conducted in a few high- and middle-income countries like Australia, China, Japan, the Republic of Korea, and New Zealand. Evidence indicated that dHealth services promoted early prevention by behavior interventions, and AI-based innovation brought automated diagnosis and clinical decision-support. dHealth brought facilitators for the doctor-patient interplay in the effectiveness, experience, and communication skills during healthcare services, with rapidly development during the pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019. In the future, the improvement of dHealth services in WPR needs to gain more policy support, enhance technology innovation and privacy protection, and perform cost-effectiveness research.

Telemedicine has demonstrated its potential in alleviating the unbalanced distribution of medical resources across different regions. Henan, a province in China with a population of approximately 100 million, is especially affected by a health care divide. The province has taken a proactive step by establishing a regional collaborative platform for telemedicine services provided by top-tier provincial hospitals.

We aim to identify the key factors that influence the current operationalization and effectiveness of telemedicine services in Henan province. The insights gained from this study will serve as valuable references for enhancing the efficient operation of telemedicine platforms in low- and middle-income regions.

We analyzed service reports from the performance management system of telemedicine services in Henan province throughout 2020. Using descriptive statistics and graphical methods, we examined key influencing factors, such as management competency; device configuration; and hospital capability, capacity, and service efficacy, across hospitals at 2 different tiers. In addition, we used generalized linear models and multiple linear regression models to identify key operational factors that significantly affect the service volume and efficacy of 2 major telemedicine services, namely teleconsultation and tele-education.

Among the 89 tier 3 hospitals and 97 tier 2 hospitals connected to the collaborative telemedicine platform, 65 (73%) and 55 (57%), respectively, have established standardized management procedures for telemedicine services. As the primary delivery method for telemedicine services, 90% (80/89) of the tier 3 hospitals and 94% (91/97) of the tier 2 hospitals host videoconferencing consultations through professional hardware terminals rather than generic computers. Teleconsultation is the dominant service type, with an average annual service volume per institution of 173 (IQR 37-372) and 60 (IQR 14-271) teleconsultations for tier 3 and tier 2 hospitals, respectively. Key factors influencing the service volume at each hospital include available funding, management competency, the number of connected upper tiers, and the number of professional staff. After receiving teleconsultations from tier 3 (65/89, 73%) and tier 2 (61/97, 63%) hospitals, patients reported significant improvements in their medical conditions. In addition, we observed that service efficacy is positively influenced by management competency, financial incentives, the number of connected upper or lower tiers, and the involvement of participating medical professionals.

Telemedicine has become increasingly popular in Henan province, with a notable focus on teleconsultation and tele-education services. Despite its popularity, many medical institutions, especially tier 2 hospitals, face challenges related to management competency. In addition to enhancing the effectiveness of existing telemedicine services, health care decision-makers in Henan province and other low- and middle-income regions should consider expanding the service categories, such as including remote emergency care and telesurgery, which have promise in addressing crucial health care needs in these regions.

Children with complicated gastrointestinal conditions are dependent on follow up by tertiary care specialists throughout childhood to prevent and treat complications. In Sweden, paediatric surgical- and intestinal rehabilitation centres are centralised which means that many patients and guardians have to travel long distances to access tertiary referral centres. Our tertiary referral centre has developed a model of shared care with video conferences for follow up with our centre and the patient and guardians attending together with the responsible professionals at the local hospital. This study aimed to investigate the experiences and satisfaction with video follow-up visits (VFV) between a tertiary referral centre and guardians and clinicians at their local hospital.

Eligible participants were families with children with oesophageal atresia, intestinal failure and intestinal motility disorders and their local clinicians attending VFV with our tertiary referral centre from 2015 to 2020. Questionnaires included fixed-response alternatives, a 6-point Likert scale and open questions.

Fifty-seven out of 102 families (56%) and 19 out of 27 local clinicians (70%) responded the questionnaires. In 68% of the VFV, two guardians attended compared to 35% in the physical visits. Of the guardians attending VFV, 82% lost ≤ half a working day and 91% attending physical visits lost ≥ one full working day. Median distance to the tertiary referral centre was 267 km and attending VFV avoided emissions of 7.2 metric tonnes of CO2. Of the guardians, 90% and of the clinicians 95% were satisfied with VFV. Advantages were avoidance of travelling and the participants shared the same information.

VFV is an appropriate alternative to physical visits with a high grade of satisfaction among the guardians and clinicians. VFV was time-saving for the families and reduced CO2 emissions.

Telemedical applications are solutions to challenges in the healthcare system. However, it is unclear what intensive care unit healthcare professionals expect from such solutions. This study investigated the expectations and concerns of nurses and physicians when implementing telemedicine tools in intensive care units (tele-ICU).

The study was conducted in intensive care units in 2020 during the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. It used a mixed-methods approach targeted at physicians and nurses and involved 14 qualitative interviews and 63 quantitative questionnaires.

The qualitative and quantitative data showed that both nurses and physicians were willing to use tele-ICU. Nurses recognised the advantages of real-time access to expertise offered by tele-ICU, but feared this would reduce physicians' on-site patient time. Physicians, in turn, were concerned that they would be expected to be continuously on call. The majority in both groups agreed that any tele-ICU solution must be simple to use and integrate easily into existing organisational structures, networks, and work routines. Additionally, COVID-19 significantly influenced expectations: those who reported having more personal health concerns during the pandemic were more predisposed to favour the use of tele-ICU.

Overall, tele-ICU supports better care, but a successful implementation depends on its ease of use and context-sensitive approaches. Effectively integrating tele-ICU solutions into daily clinical routines requires input from nurses and physicians and their involvement in the implementation process from the outset, as well as consideration of existing organisational structures. Such measures will vastly increase the chance of acceptance and successful adoption of telemedical solutions in clinical practice.

This study aimed to summarize the characteristics of the Internet hospital services of the Seventh Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University (SAHSYSU), describe diagnosis and treatment patterns in each department, determine SAHSYSU Internet hospital's role in pandemic control, and explore development strategies in non-pandemic situations.

Mixed-methods was used in this study. Qualitative organizational behavior analysis was conducted on hospital meeting records and semi-structured interview records to determine the research analysis indicators. We quantitatively analyzed online consultation record data of SAHSYSU Internet hospital from January to December 2020, and conduct classification analysis on departmental case studies using K-means clustering algorithm.

29,944 patient data items were retrieved. Internet hospital services synchronized with COVID-19 pandemic development in China and Guangdong province. The service volume peaked during the period of January to March, which coincided with the height of the pandemic. Out of the total visits, 58.90% were conducted during office hours while 41.10% were conducted during non-office hours. The majority of the patients came from Guangdong (19.67%) and Hubei (9.09%) provinces. The cluster analysis identified three clusters, each with different change rates and magnitudes of change for various departments.

Internet hospitals complemented conventional medical services, providing crucial medical care during the COVID-19 pandemic. Internet hospitals are the future trend of medical services and should be improved based on each department's treatment characteristics.

Telemedicine was the first line of defense during the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, Saudi Arabia believes it is essential to emphasize telemedicine services to combat the virus as part of its early precautionary actions.

To measure the prevalence of telemedicine usage and determine the facilitators and barriers affecting telemedicine usage.

A cross-sectional study was conducted among Saudis from October 2020 to April 2021. Participants received an online questionnaire through multiple social media platforms.

The prevalence of telemedicine usage was 45.2%. The most significant facilitator that affected the participants' usage was avoiding the infection of COVID-19, at 87.3%. In-person consultation preference was the biggest barrier preventing Saudis from using telemedicine services (62.5%).

Not enough people are aware of telemedicine services, so it is recommended to multiply advertisements for the services provided to reach many users. To enhance Saudi Arabia's awareness of the risks of COVID-19, further studies are needed to assess telemedicine usage during COVID-19, since the majority of studies were conducted in advance.

Telemedicine has emerged as a novel healthcare service model that plays a vital role in addressing the unequal distribution of medical resources. Telemedicine has recently gained significant traction in economically prosperous cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou in China. However, Xinyang City in Henan Province is an economically less developed city, and telemedicine is still in its early stages. By exploring the views of medical staff and administrators at Xinyang City's tertiary A-level hospital on telemedicine, this study aims to determine the development status of telemedicine services in Xinyang City. The objective was to identify the challenges in the construction process and formulate corresponding strategies for advancing telemedicine in Xinyang City.

Face-to-face personal interviews were conducted with 16 medical staff and administrators from a tertiary A-level hospital in Xinyang City, Henan Province, and the data were collected and analyzed using grounded theory. In the process of data analysis, NVivo12 software was used to encode and organize the data line by line.

The development of telemedicine in Xinyang City has the potential to benefit residents, hospitals, and healthcare personnel despite several challenges, including the absence of laws and regulations, inadequate policy support, limited hospital cooperation, and low resident awareness, which must be addressed to unlock the full potential of telemedicine.

The telemedicine system in Xinyang City is currently in a coordinated developmental phase, and several areas require further improvement. The development of standardized telemedicine in Xinyang City requires government support, better training for general practitioners, public awareness campaigns, and improved technology while ensuring reasonable work schedules and motivating medical personnel.

The use of remote consultation modalities has exponentially grown in the past few years, particularly since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Although a huge body of the literature has described the use of phone (tele) and video consultations, very few of the studies correspond to randomized controlled trials, and none of them has assessed the safety of these consultation modalities as the primary objective. The primary objective of this trial was to assess the safety of remote consultations (both video and teleconsultation) in the follow-up of patients in the hospital setting.

Multicenter, randomized controlled trial being conducted in four centers of an administrative healthcare area in Catalonia (North-East Spain). Participants will be screened from all individuals, irrespective of age and sex, who require follow-up in outpatient consultations of any of the departments involved in the study. Eligibility criteria have been established based on the local guidelines for screening patients for remote consultation. Participants will be randomly allocated into one of the two study arms: conventional face-to-face consultation (control) and remote consultation, either teleconsultation or video consultation (intervention). Routine follow-up visits will be scheduled at a frequency determined by the physician based on the diagnostic and therapy of the baseline disease (the one triggering enrollment). The primary outcome will be the number of adverse reactions and complications related to the baseline disease. Secondary outcomes will include non-scheduled visits and hospitalizations, as well as usability features of remote consultations. All data will either be recorded in an electronic clinical report form or retrieved from local electronic health records. Based on the complications and adverse reaction rates reported in the literature, we established a target sample size of 1068 participants per arm. Recruitment started in May 2022 and is expected to end in May 2024.

The scarcity of precedents on the assessment of remote consultation modalities using randomized controlled designs challenges making design decisions, including recruitment, selection criteria, and outcome definition, which are discussed in the manuscript.

NCT05094180. The items of the WHO checklist for trial registration are available in Additional file 1. Registered on 24 November 2021.

Objectives This study aimed to address the acceptance of mHealth applications for a dental screening app that facilitates patient information entry and captures dental photos remotely to assist in caries diagnosis in preschool children in Australia. Methods All participants were recruited through the ORIGINS Project, a community-based interventional birth cohort study in Western Australia. Forty-two primary caregivers, who were the users of a teledental screening app, were given a questionnaire with 17 questions; these were constructed based on the theme of the Technology Acceptance Model: perceived ease of use (PE), perceived usefulness (PU), behavioural intention to adopt (BI), anxiety (ANX), attitude toward a behaviour (ATB), and self-efficacy (SE). Cronbach's alpha was estimated to determine internal consistency. Path analysis was employed to quantify the relationship between each theme. Results The mean values for most themes indicated high satisfaction with the intervention among caregivers (scores out of 5): PE (4.54 ± 0.55), PU (4.65 ± 0.49), BI (4.40 ± 0.65), ATB (4.23 ± 0.70), SE (4.36 ± 0.64). Results indicated high consistency in response in the PE, PU, ATB, and SE (α  = 0.74-0.84) and moderate consistency was observed in ANX and BI (α = 0.50-0.62). The overall intention of using the dental screening app was significantly related to both PU and ATB (P  Conclusion The perceived usefulness and attitude toward behaviours influenced the overall behavioural intention of the participants to use the telehealth model in dental screening. Recognising these relationships indicates community readiness for implementing the telehealth application in the dental program and enables identification of areas for improving its diffusion.

This study aimed to explore challenges facing patients using Telemedicine consultations in non-communicable chronic disease clinics in primary care settings and to evaluate their satisfaction and willingness to use this service in the future.

This is an analytical cross-sectional study enrolling participants who were randomly selected from representative primary care centers in Bahrain and providing Telemedicine consultations. A semi-structured questionnaire permitted data collection using telephone interviews.

A total of 251 individuals participated in the study of whom the majority were Bahraini (90.04%), and the mean age was 54.48 ± 10.78 years. Most of the participants 231 (92.03%) were satisfied with the Telemedicine consultation while only 142 (56.80%) were willing to use this service in the future. The main perceived challenges related to Teleconsultations were the lack of physical examination, inadequate time of TM consultation, fear of medical errors, and lack of privacy. The willingness to use TM consultation in the future was mainly determined by the degree of comfort to tell private information (p < 0.01) and to less extent the ease of the communication tool (p = 0.005) on multivariate analysis.

TM consultations could be a good complement to conventional consultation formats in the future. The sustainability of this innovative healthcare delivery tool requires addressing acceptability by users, ease of use, patient-centeredness, and technological advances to ensure privacy.

Introduction: In China, digital health and telemedicine services grew particularly rapidly during the COVID-19 pandemic. The goal of this study was to examine the effects of technology acceptance model (TAM) predictors, previous social media health service exposure, and telemedicine experience on individual telemedicine service usage intention within the extended theoretical framework of TAM and TAM2. Methods: The study adopted a cross-sectional survey to collect data (N = 1,088) through a Chinese online panel provider (wenjuan.com). Structural equation modeling was performed to examine relationships between the variables in the proposed model. Results: Our results indicated that technology anxiety (TA) was negatively related to perceived ease of use (PEOU) and usage intention. PEOU mediated the relationship between TA and usage intention. Social media health information consumption was positively associated with perceived usefulness (PU). Previous telemedicine satisfaction was positively related to PEOU and PU, but the direct relationship between satisfaction with telemedicine and usage intention was not found to be significant. Besides, PEOU and PU mediated the relationship between previous telemedicine satisfaction and usage intention. Conclusions: Findings of the study not only contribute to literature pertaining to telemedicine promotion by identifying important mediation relationships but also help identify potential users and provide a convenient internet-based promotion channel since they reveal that social media health information consumption is positively related to PU of telemedicine services.

To contribute actionable knowledge how to increase appropriate use of digital technologies in primary care by understanding clinical managers experiences with a digital connection system, Always Open, during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The overall design was a qualitative study with directed content analysis method. Data were collected from documents and focus group (n = 12) interviews with clinical managers (n = 99) of primary care. The seven domains of the Non-adoption, Abandonment, and challenges to the Scale-up, Spread and Sustainability (NASSS) framework was used to understand the implementation process, as described by the clinical managers.

Focus group participants reported that their units made their own local decisions to make more use of the technology provided by the health system. Most participants considered that the technology was ready to use, despite some limitations, that included individual clinician's and patient preferences, and how ready their unit was for making changes to practice and organization. Some raised concerns about how standardizing some aspects possibly conflicted with the decentralized management model of the organization. The overall experience was reported to be positive, with an intention to sustain the achievements.

Focus group interviews found that clinical unit managers reported that they and their staff were positive about the digital technology system for remote care. For the future, they wanted changes to be made at different levels of the health system to better combine digital and physical care. Possibilities to use digital technology to integrate primary and hospital health care were identified.

Background and Objectives: Based on practical services of the Henan Province Telemedicine Center (HTCC), the purpose of this study is to investigate the design, construction, implementation, and application effect of a specific telemedicine system in response to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Methods: Data on COVID-19 cases from December 31, 2019, through October 17, 2022, were collected from official websites. Data and information of telemedicine services related to COVID-19 in HTCC were collected and analyzed, and relevant graphical representations were plotted. Results: All the 147 COVID-19 designated hospitals in the Henan Province were covered by the specific telemedicine system. The cities near to the Hubei Province in the south of Henan tended to be with more COVID-19 cases, where more COVID-19-related telemedicine services were conducted. For the telemedicine system, function modules, including real-time monitoring, command and dispatch, intractable cases transfer, remote guidance, and data sharing, were designed and realized to deal with COVID-19. Through the system, telemedicine services involved COVID-19 such as epidemic surveillance, emergency rescue, case discussion, diagnosis and treatment, remote ward-round, and distance education were performed. During the period between February 2 and March 3, 2020, 646 COVID-19 patients were served by the telemedicine system, with an improvement rate of 73.2%. Conclusions: Telemedicine can improve the diagnosis and treatment of COVID-19 patients, which play a helpful role in curbing the COVID-19 epidemic. Given the current global COVID-19 pandemic and the potential re-emerge of novel zoonotic pathogens in the future, the use of telemedicine would be imperative to fight against the pandemic.

The 12-lead electrocardiogram (ECG) is a first-line diagnostic tool for patients with cardiac symptoms. As observed during the COVID-19 pandemic, the ECG is essential to the initial patient evaluation. The novel KardioPal three-lead-based ECG reconstructive technology provides a potential alternative to a standard ECG, reducing the response time and cost of treatment and improving patient comfort. Our study aimed to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of a reconstructed 12-lead ECG obtained by the KardioPal technology, comparing it with the standard 12-lead ECG, and to assess the feasibility and time required to obtain a reconstructed ECG in a real-life scenario. A prospective, nonrandomized, single-center, adjudicator-blinded trial was conducted on 102 patients during the COVID-19 pandemic at the Dedinje Cardiovascular Institute in Belgrade. The KardioPal system demonstrated a high feasibility rate (99%), with high specificity (96.3%), sensitivity (95.8%), and diagnostic accuracy (96.1%) for obtaining clinically relevant matching of reconstructed 12-lead compared to the standard 12-lead ECG recording. This novel technology provided a significant reduction in ECG acquisition time and the need for personnel and space for obtaining ECG recordings, thereby reducing the risk of viral transmission and the burden on an already overwhelmed healthcare system such as the one experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic.

To limit the epidemic of COVID-19, most countries and regions have adopted the policy of quarantine, providing an opportunity for the development of telemedicine. This study aims to develop a telemedicine system within a quarantined district and validate its effectiveness and safety in managing a variety of diseases within the population. Appling the private network and specialized set, telemedicine system and service process were constructed in the quarantine district. Based on the patients' conditions, the staffs supplied kinds of medical service for the patients in the quarantine district. The basic characteristics and results of patients in the quarantine area who used telemedicine system during January to September 2022 were statistically analyzed. Within this period, 2410 cases were included in this study, among which, 1803 patients directly saw a doctor by the Internet hospital in the Internet hospital of telemedicine system, 607 patients used telemedicine system, 166 patients achieved referral to a specific hospital via telemedicine system, and 162 cases made further consultation, with no infection cases in the quarantine zone and no death cases. The six most occurred diseases were respiratory disease (20.6%), ophthalmology and otorhinolaryngology (12.9%), cardiovascular diseases (12.7%), digestive system disease (12.5%), dermatological diseases (10.6%), and metabolic and endocrine diseases (7.6%). The top three referred cases were obstetric diseases (19.3%), others (12.0%) and respiratory disease (10.2%). There were statistically significant differences between the diseases of the cases using telemedicine system with and without referral (P < 0.001). It is feasible, effective and efficient to construct and use telemedicine system in quarantine area. It is an approach to manage many patients by indirectly contact. With the solution of follow-up related problems and the application of novel technologies, telemedicine may usher in greater development.

The COVID-19 pandemic represents one of the greatest challenges of this century with wide ranging impacts not only on health but practically every sector of the human society. The pandemic stretched our resources and coping capacities to almost breaking points even in wealthy economies and further exposed crucial weaknesses in infrastructure, human resources and emergency preparedness of most nations. This review article explored the role of technology and innovation in post COVID-19 growth and recovery. The academia has facilitated better understanding of the COVID-19 pandemic by increasing the body of knowledge on the disease. Better understanding of the disease informed technology and innovations which has made it possible to end the pandemic lockdown, and chart the course for recovery and growth. Relevant articles from a search of electronic databases were reviewed and the role of academia as well as some of the innovations that opened the pathway for recovery were highlighted. Recovery and growth after the COVID-19 pandemic will require synergistic efforts between the academia and the industry, more like taking the "Gown" to "Town". Research and development in academia, and industrial technology and innovation are veritable tools for a post COVID-19 recovery.

The majority of Chinese people who are nearing the end of their lives prefer to receive home-based palliative care. Telehealth, as a new service model, has the potential to meet the increasing demand for this service, especially in remote areas with limited resources. However, nurse-led telehealth-based palliative care services are still in the pilot implementation phase. Assessing the telehealth readiness among palliative care specialist nurses and identifying associated factors is crucial to facilitate the successful implementation of telehealth services. Therefore, this study aimed to examine TH readiness and its related factors among Chinese palliative care specialist nurses.

Four hundred nine Chinese palliative care specialist nurses from 28 provinces or municipalities participated in this study between July and August 2022. The Chinese version of Telehealth Readiness Assessment Tools (TRAT-C), and Innovative Self-Efficacy Scale (ISES-C) were used to assess the degree of TH readiness and the levels of innovative self-efficacy.

The total score of the TRAT-C was 65.31 ± 9.09, and the total score of ISES was 29.27 ± 5.78. The statistically significant factors that influenced telehealth readiness were the experience of using telehealth platforms or services, the willingness to provide telehealth to patients, and the level of nurses' innovative self-efficacy. The innovative self-efficacy is positively correlated to telehealth readiness (r = 0.482, P < 0.01). These related factors could explain 27.3% of the difference in telehealth readiness.

The telehealth readiness of Chinese palliative care specialist nurses are at a moderate level. Measures such as providing incentives to promote nurses' innovation self-efficacy by nurse managers, and establishing a comprehensive telehealth training system for palliative care specialist nurses should be taken to facilitate the implementation of telehealth services in the field of palliative care.

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted public and private health systems around the world, impairing good practices in women's health care. However, little is known about the experiences, knowledge, and feelings of Brazilian women in this period. The objective was to analyze the experiences of women, seen at maternity hospitals accredited by the Brazilian Unified Health System (SUS, acronym in Portuguese), regarding health care during pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum periods, their interpersonal relationships, and perceptions and feelings about the pandemic. This was a qualitative, exploratory research, carried out in three Brazilian municipalities with women hospitalized in 2020, during pregnancy, childbirth, or postpartum period, with COVID-19 or not. For data collection, semi-structured individual interviews (in person, by telephone, or by digital platform) were conducted, recorded and transcribed. The content analysis of thematic modalities was displayed as per the following axes: i) Knowledge about the disease; ii) Search for health care in prenatal, childbirth, and postpartum periods; iii) Experience of suffering from COVID-19; iv) Income and work; and v) Family dynamics and social support network. A total of 46 women were interviewed in São Luís-MA, Pelotas-RS, and Niterói-RJ. Use of media was important to convey information and fight fake news. The pandemic negatively impacted access to health care in the prenatal, childbirth, and postpartum periods, contributing to worsening of the population's social and economic vulnerabilities. Women experienced diverse manifestations of the disease, and psychic disorders were very frequent. Social isolation during the pandemic disrupted the support network of these women, who found social support strategies in communication technologies. Women-centered care-including qualified listening and mental health support-can reduce the severity of COVID-19 cases in pregnant, parturient, and postpartum women. Sustainable employment and income maintenance policies are essential to mitigate social vulnerabilities and reduce risks for these women.

To explore the effects of mobile technology-enhanced interventions on mothers' self-efficacy, anxiety, and infant health. Quasi-experimental study. The intervention group (n=30) received mobile technology-enhanced nursing care, whereas the control group (n=30) used the hospital's routine maintenance services. Mothers' self-efficacy significantly improved, and anxiety and infant health problems (poor sucking, umbilical cord infection, and skin lesions) significantly decreased (p<0.05) in the intervention group. Mobile technology-enhanced nursing care improved self-efficacy, decreased mothers' anxiety levels, and reduced infant health problems. Mobile technology-enhanced nursing care can be integrated into clinical practice to improve maternal and infant health.

This study was conducted to determine the effect of tele-education offered to mothers during the COVID-19 pandemic on breastfeeding success and perceived breastfeeding self-efficacy. The mothers were divided into experimental (n = 28) and control groups (n = 28). They were followed-up postnatal 1st week, 4th week, 3rd month, and 6th month in both groups. The researchers provided a 4-week long education and counseling service to mothers in the experimental group via direct phone calls and text messages. It was determined that the tele-education given to mothers about breastfeeding during the COVID-19 pandemic increased breastfeeding success and perceived breastfeeding self-efficacy.

Shenzhen is unique in its need for ad hoc responses to emergencies. The need for emergency medicine also demonstrates a trend of sustained growth.

A three-dimensional and efficiently connected emergency medical management model using fifth generation mobile communication technology (5G) was established to improve the efficiency and level of management in emergency medicine.

A mixed-frequency band private network collaborative emergency treatment mode was built under daily emergency scenarios using 5G. The efficiency of a three-dimensional telemedicine treatment mode was tested using prehospital emergency medicine. Also, the feasibility of quickly establishing a temporary network information system using unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) and/or high-throughput communication satellites under disaster-caused power outages and network interruptions was examined. A monitoring system was constructed for suspected cases using 5G amid public health emergencies, which raised the Emergency Department's efficiency and security in responding to the pandemic.

The three-dimensional rescue system supported by 5G showed that the radius of the emergency medical rescue services expanded from 5 to 60 km, and the cross-district emergency reaction time reduced from 1 h to <20 min. Thus, it was feasible to construct a communication network expeditiously with devices carried by UAV under disastrous scenarios. The system developed based on 5G could be used in managing suspected cases of public emergencies. Among the 134 suspected cases in the early stage of the pandemic, no nosocomial infection was detected.

A three-dimensional, efficiently connected emergency medical management system based on 5G was constructed, following which the emergency rescue radius quickly expanded and the emergency response time reduced. Thus, with the aid of new technology, an emergency information network system was built expeditiously under specific scenarios, such as a natural disaster, and the level of management under public health emergencies advances. The confidentiality of patient information is a critical issue regarding the application of new technology.

The COVID-19 outbreak resulted in an increased demand for telemedicine worldwide. Telemedicine is a technology-based virtual platform that allows the exchange of clinical data and images over remote distances. This study aims to examine the impact of the perceived risk of COVID-19 on telemedicine use in Bangladesh.

This explanatory study was conducted in hospital settings across Dhaka city in Bangladesh. Patients were eligible to participate if they were aged 18 years or over and had used telemedicine in a hospital at least once since the COVID-19 outbreak. Outcome variables included sociodemographic, the perceived risk of COVID-19, and telehealth use. Study data were collected using an online and paper-based survey.

A total of 550 patients participated in this study, mostly male (66.4%), single (58.2%), and highly educated (74.2%). The means of the different domains of telemedicine use reflected a high degree of perceived benefit, accessibility, and satisfaction but a lower degree of privacy and discomfort, care personnel expertise, and usability. COVID 19 perceived risk predicted between 13.0% and 26.6% of variance in telemedicine domains, while the effects of demographic variables were controlled or removed. The perceived risk of COVID-19 was negatively correlated with privacy and discomfort, as well as care personnel concerns. Low and high levels of perceived COVID-19 risk were less likely to encourage the use of telemedicine as a risk reduction tool.

The participants were mainly satisfied with telemedicine, finding it beneficial and accessible; however, many were concerned about privacy, care personnel expertise, and its usability. The perceived risk of COVID-19 was a strong predictor (contributor) of telemedicine use, suggesting that risk perception can be used to encourage telemedicine use as a risk reduction strategy during pandemics; however, a medium level of risk was more promising.