Accepted for/Published in: Journal of Medical Internet Research
Date Submitted: Sep 7, 2020
Date Accepted: Jul 2, 2021
Date Submitted to PubMed: Aug 3, 2021
Warning: This is an author submission that is not peer-reviewed or edited. Preprints - unless they show as "accepted" - should not be relied on to guide clinical practice or health-related behavior and should not be reported in news media as established information.
PrimaryCare@COVID-19: the implementation of digital monitoring services for patients with chronic diseases during the Covid-19 pandemic
ABSTRACT
Background:
The COVID-19 pandemic is straining health systems and disrupting the delivery of healthcare services, in particular for the elderly and those with chronic conditions, who are particularly vulnerable to COVID-19 infection.
Objective:
The aim of this project is to support primary healthcare provision with a digital health platform that will allow primary care physicians and nurses to remotely manage the care of patients with chronic diseases or COVID-19 infections.
Methods:
The project followed the 6 steps of the Design Science implementation methodology framework: problem identification and motivation, definition of the objectives aligned with Goal-oriented care, artefact design and development, solution demonstration, evaluation, and communication.
Results:
The digital platform was developed for the specific objectives of the project and successfully piloted in three primary healthcare centers in the Lisbon Health Region. The health professionals were able to safely and thoroughly manage their first patients remotely with high degrees of satisfaction. The first COVID-19 messages were sent to the patients, addressing infodemic issues.
Conclusions:
Although still in the first steps of implementation, we are seeing promising results with a positive uptake by healthcare providers and patients. Further research is planned to evaluate the impact on patient’s health related outcomes. We are confident that this platform could be scaled-up to all primary healthcare centers in Portugal in the next months, ready to tackle a second wave of COVID-19.
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