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Digital Technology to Control the COVID-19 Epidemic Infection: Issues, Successes...
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Digital Technology to Control the COVID-19 Epidemic Infection: Issues, Successes and Failures

A special issue of Healthcare (ISSN 2227-9032). This special issue belongs to the section "TeleHealth and Digital Healthcare".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 March 2022) | Viewed by 20603

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Marcello Sarini

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Psychology, University of Milano-Bicocca, 20126 Milan, Italy
Interests: contact tracing apps for disease prevention; apps for promoting healthy behaviors; tailored health communication; digitalization of clinical processes; gamification
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue will present a collection of case studies from different countries on the motivations for success or failure regarding the adoption and use of digital technology to control the diffusion of the COVID-19 Epidemic Infection. Special attention will be paid to observation studies in which participants answered questionnaires about the adoption of, or the intention to adopt, contact tracing apps to limit the spread of COVID-19.

Please kindly inform me as to whether or not you are interested in contributing a paper. If so, please submit your abstract though the following link first by 31 August 2021 and we will consider to grant discounts.

https://www.mdpi.com/journal/healthcare/special_issues/Digital_Technology_COVID-19/abstract

Dr. Marcello Sarini
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Healthcare is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • contact tracing apps for disease prevention
  • apps for promoting healthy behaviors
  • tailored health communication
  • digitalization of clinical processes

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

21 pages, 1135 KiB  
Article
A Cluster Analysis of the Acceptance of a Contact Tracing App—The Identification of Profiles for the Italian Immuni Contact Tracing App
by Marcello Sarini, Rossana Actis Grosso, Maria Elena Magrin, Silvia Mari, Nadia Olivero, Giulia Paganin and Silvia Simbula
Healthcare 2022, 10(5), 888; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare10050888 - 11 May 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 3575
Abstract
Digital contact tracing apps have been introduced by governments as a strategy to limit the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. Digital contact tracking is an alternative to traditional contact tracing performed by human tracers who have to reconstruct each contact an infected person [...] Read more.
Digital contact tracing apps have been introduced by governments as a strategy to limit the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. Digital contact tracking is an alternative to traditional contact tracing performed by human tracers who have to reconstruct each contact an infected person had in the recent past by means of interviews. The Italian government proposed the Immuni digital contact tracking app as a solution. Immuni uses Bluetooth technology to anonymously register all close contacts a person had: if she tests positive for COVID-19 then all registered contacts are notified. The main aim of the paper is to propose a cluster analysis of some factors concerning the possible acceptance of the Immuni app to build behaviour profiles that explain and predict the possible behaviours of the respondents. The factors considered referred to three different pillars: the technological pillar, investigated by considering factors from the technology acceptance models family; the health pillar, where variables of the health belief model were used; and the sociopolitical pillar, where some values of the respondents were considered as possible barriers to or facilitators of the acceptance of this technology. As a result of the cluster analysis, three behavioural profiles were built: the ProApp profile, the Hesitant profile, and the AntiApp profile. The first is the profile grouping the respondents who intend to use the contact tracing app; the second is more about people who are favourable of the use of the app, but some issues such as privacy reduce the strength of their intention; the last profile is about people who are less favourable to use the app. We are confident that the behaviour profiles found would be useful to build more tailored communication campaigns to help promote the use of the app by managing factors that could either be facilitators or barriers. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Digital Technology to Control the COVID-19 Epidemic Infection: Issues, Successes and Failures)
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14 pages, 4412 KiB  
Article
A Web-Based Application to Monitor and Inform about the COVID-19 Outbreak in Italy: The {COVID-19ita} Initiative
by Corrado Lanera, Danila Azzolina, Francesco Pirotti, Ilaria Prosepe, Giulia Lorenzoni, Paola Berchialla and Dario Gregori
Healthcare 2022, 10(3), 473; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare10030473 - 03 Mar 2022
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2292
Abstract
The pandemic outbreak of COVID-19 has posed several questions about public health emergency risk communication. Due to the effort required for the population to adopt appropriate behaviors in response to the emergency, it is essential to inform the public of the epidemic situation [...] Read more.
The pandemic outbreak of COVID-19 has posed several questions about public health emergency risk communication. Due to the effort required for the population to adopt appropriate behaviors in response to the emergency, it is essential to inform the public of the epidemic situation with transparent data sources. The COVID-19ita project aimed to develop a public open-source tool to provide timely, updated information on the pandemic’s evolution in Italy. It is a web-based application, the front end for the eponymously named R package freely available on GitHub, deployed both in English and Italian. The web application pulls the data from the official repository of the Italian COVID-19 outbreak at the national, regional, and provincial levels. The app allows the user to select information to visualize data in an interactive environment and compare epidemic situations over time and across different Italian regions. At the same time, it provides insights about the outbreak that are explained and commented upon to yield reasoned, focused, timely, and updated information about the outbreak evolution. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Digital Technology to Control the COVID-19 Epidemic Infection: Issues, Successes and Failures)
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7 pages, 804 KiB  
Communication
Digital Health Platforms in Saudi Arabia: Determinants from the COVID-19 Pandemic Experience
by Saeed M. Alghamdi, Abdullah S. Alsulayyim, Jaber S. Alqahtani and Abdulelah M. Aldhahir
Healthcare 2021, 9(11), 1517; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare9111517 - 08 Nov 2021
Cited by 17 | Viewed by 5965
Abstract
COVID-19 poses a significant burden to healthcare systems. Healthcare organisations with better health innovation infrastructures have faced a reduced burden and achieved success in curbing COVID-19. In Saudi Arabia, digital technologies have played a vital role in fighting SARS-CoV-2 transmission. In this paper, [...] Read more.
COVID-19 poses a significant burden to healthcare systems. Healthcare organisations with better health innovation infrastructures have faced a reduced burden and achieved success in curbing COVID-19. In Saudi Arabia, digital technologies have played a vital role in fighting SARS-CoV-2 transmission. In this paper, we aimed to summarise the experience of optimising digital health technologies in Saudi Arabia as well as to discuss capabilities and opportunities during and beyond the COVID-19 pandemic. A literature search was conducted up to September 2021 to document the experience of using DHTPs in Saudi Arabia in response to the COVID-19 outbreak. We also considered any published data, press briefings, and announcements by the MOH in Saudi Arabia. The findings were synthesised in narrative form. Health officials succeeded in optimising and maintaining a strategy to mitigate the spread of the virus via different digital technologies, such as mobile health applications, artificial intelligence, and machine learning. The quick digital response in Saudi Arabia was facilitated by governmental support and by considering users and technology determinants. Future research must concentrate on establishing and updating the guidelines for using DHTPs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Digital Technology to Control the COVID-19 Epidemic Infection: Issues, Successes and Failures)
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14 pages, 2198 KiB  
Article
Information Disclosure Contents of the COVID-19 Data Dashboard Websites for South Korea, China, and Japan: A Comparative Study
by Bo Zhao, Mahyeon Kim and Eun Woo Nam
Healthcare 2021, 9(11), 1487; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare9111487 - 01 Nov 2021
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2426
Abstract
Official responses to the COVID-19 pandemic have prioritized information disclosure. Timely and comprehensive information released by the authorities is conveyed mainly through dashboards, which can better inform the public and help them prepare for the pandemic. However, there is limited evidence regarding the [...] Read more.
Official responses to the COVID-19 pandemic have prioritized information disclosure. Timely and comprehensive information released by the authorities is conveyed mainly through dashboards, which can better inform the public and help them prepare for the pandemic. However, there is limited evidence regarding the COVID-19 dashboard data presentation for South Korea, China, and Japan. This study aimed to describe the current COVID-19 situation in the three countries and compare the information disclosure content on their COVID-19 dashboards. Based on the COVID-19 data released and updated by each country’s official authorities, two dashboard websites used by many people in each country were selected. We conducted content analysis and developed a checklist (39 items in five categories: cases, testing, vaccines, health information, and additional items) based on the structure of each country’s COVID-19 dashboard website to assess COVID-19 information disclosure. Japan experienced the worst outbreak among the three countries. They all provided basic dynamic data displayed on the dashboard, while the performance in key categories varied substantially between the countries (South Korea: 30/39 items; China: 25/39 items; Japan: 30/39 items). Moreover, as part of the publicly accessible information recorded by each nation, there were differences in the key indicators published and important facts disclosed. Improvement in reporting techniques and disclosure methods will help countries communicate more effectively with the public and conduct more efficient public health research. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Digital Technology to Control the COVID-19 Epidemic Infection: Issues, Successes and Failures)
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19 pages, 944 KiB  
Article
Recommending Suitable Smart Technology Applications to Support Mobile Healthcare after the COVID-19 Pandemic Using a Fuzzy Approach
by Toly Chen and Yu-Cheng Wang
Healthcare 2021, 9(11), 1461; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare9111461 - 28 Oct 2021
Cited by 12 | Viewed by 1823
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic seems to be entering its final stage. However, to restore normal life, the applications of smart technologies are still necessary. Therefore, this research is dedicated to exploring the applications of smart technologies that can support mobile healthcare after the COVID-19 [...] Read more.
The COVID-19 pandemic seems to be entering its final stage. However, to restore normal life, the applications of smart technologies are still necessary. Therefore, this research is dedicated to exploring the applications of smart technologies that can support mobile healthcare after the COVID-19 pandemic. To this end, this study compares smart technology applications to support mobile healthcare within the COVID-19 pandemic with those before the pandemic, so as to estimate possible developments in this field. In addition, to quantitatively assess and compare smart technology applications that may support mobile healthcare after the COVID-19 pandemic, the calibrated fuzzy geometric mean (CFGM)-fuzzy technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solution (FTOPSIS) approach is applied. The proposed methodology has been applied to evaluate and compare nine potential smart technology applications for supporting mobile healthcare after the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the experimental results, “vaccine passport and related applications” and “smart watches” were the most suitable smart technology applications for supporting mobile healthcare after the COVID-19 pandemic. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Digital Technology to Control the COVID-19 Epidemic Infection: Issues, Successes and Failures)
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20 pages, 61333 KiB  
Article
The Evaluation of Preference and Perceived Quality of Health Communication Icons Associated with COVID-19 Prevention Measures
by Yogi Tri Prasetyo, Ratna Sari Dewi, Naiomi M. Balatbat, Michael Lancelot B. Antonio, Thanatorn Chuenyindee, Anak Agung Ngurah Perwira Redi, Michael Nayat Young, John Francis T. Diaz and Yoshiki B. Kurata
Healthcare 2021, 9(9), 1115; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare9091115 - 27 Aug 2021
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 3132
Abstract
Icons have been widely utilized to describe and promote COVID-19 prevention measures. The purpose of this study was to analyze the preference and subjective design features of 133 existing icons associated with COVID-19 prevention measures published by the health and medical organizations of [...] Read more.
Icons have been widely utilized to describe and promote COVID-19 prevention measures. The purpose of this study was to analyze the preference and subjective design features of 133 existing icons associated with COVID-19 prevention measures published by the health and medical organizations of different countries. The 133 icons represent nineteen different function names, such as “Wash Hands” and “Wear Face Mask”. A total of 57 participants were recruited to perform two different tests: ranking test and subjective rating test. The ranking test was conducted to elicit the preference ranking of seven icon designs representing each function name. It was followed by a subjective rating test using 13 semantic scales on the two most preferred icons to analyze their perceived quality. Spearmen correlation was applied to derive the possible correlations between users’ rankings and the semantic scales, and Friedman’s test was also performed to determine the true difference between ranking in terms of each semantic scale to provide a fully meaningful interpretation of the data. Generally, findings from the current study showed that the image presented in the icon is the key point that affects the icons’ perceived quality. Interestingly, Spearman’s correlation analysis between preference ranking and semantic scales showed that vague–clear, weak–strong, incompatible–compatible, and ineffective–effective were the four strongest semantic scales that highly correlated with the preference ranking. Considering the significant relationships between the semantic distances and the functions, images depicted in an icon should be realistic and as close as possible to its respected function to cater to users’ preferences. In addition, the results of Spearman’s correlation and Friedman’s test also inferred that compatibility and clarity of icon elements are the main factors determining a particular icon’s preferability. This study is the first comprehensive study to evaluate the icons associated with the COVID-19 prevention measures. The findings of this study can be utilized as the basis for redesigning icons, particularly for icons related to COVID-19 prevention measures. Furthermore, the approach can also be applied and extended for evaluating other medical icons. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Digital Technology to Control the COVID-19 Epidemic Infection: Issues, Successes and Failures)
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