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Role of digital health in improving physical and mental well-being during COVID-19 pandemic

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 August 2021

F. Arain ,
A. Tohid ,
H. Arain ,
S. Afzal ,
M.S. Tauheed ,
M. Tauheed ,
M. Zeshan  and
W. Azeem
F. Arain*
Affiliation:
Psychiatry, BronxCare Health System Mount Sinai, NY, United States of America
A. Tohid
Affiliation:
Psychiatry, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, United States of America
H. Arain
Affiliation:
Under Graduate, Columbia University, New York, United States of America
S. Afzal
Affiliation:
Psychiatry, Ziauddin University Hospital, Karachi, Pakistan
M.S. Tauheed
Affiliation:
Internal Medicine, Dow University of Health Science, Karachi, Pakistan
M. Tauheed
Affiliation:
Internal Medicine, Dow University of Health Science, Karachi, Pakistan
M. Zeshan
Affiliation:
Psychiatry, Rutgers New Jersey Medical School Newark, New Jersey, United States of America
W. Azeem
Affiliation:
Psychiatry, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, United States of America
*
*Corresponding author.

Abstract

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Introduction

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there is a steep rise in the acceptance of telemedicine and digital health, including increased interest in pursuing mental health treatment through telepsychiatry. Digital health helps following social distancing measures and increases the health outcomes.

Objectives

To see the role of digital health in improving physical and mental well-being during COVID-19 Pandemic

Methods

This study is a part of a large global project where 240 people inquired advice on phone app during COVID-19-Pandemic. Later on, a short study was conducted on the same population through survey to evaluate the effectiveness of digital health/tele-mental health. We also searched PubMed, Google Scholar, PsychInfo, and Medline for words “Digital Health, Tele-mental health, COVID-19-Pandemic”. Reviewed 40 articles and included 3 in this review1,4,5.

Results

We received a total of 98 responses. 65.6% people reported that online health resources are helpful in relieving pandemic-induced anxiety/stress, 66.2% reported to continue online health services after pandemic, 37.7% noted that digital health saves times in waiting areas, 46% reported lack of physical interaction with doctor as a disadvantage of digital health, and 40.3% reported comfort in using tele-mental health. Our literature review has shown barriers like privacy concerns and technological issues1. Provision of tele-psychiatry is safe and effective in continuity of mental health care.4,5

Conclusions

There has been an increased inclination towards digital health during any disaster. During COVID-19-Pandemic, digital health has increased access to mental health care and reduced risk of infection. The drawbacks include poor patient-doctor relationship, reimbursement concerns, and lack of confidentiality.

Keywords

Digital HealthTele-mental healthCOVID-19Pandemic
Type
Abstract
Information
European Psychiatry , Volume 64 , Special Issue S1: Abstracts of the 29th European Congress of Psychiatry , April 2021 , pp. S276
Creative Commons
Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BY
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution licence (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of the European Psychiatric Association
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