DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES IN THE FIGHT AGAINST COVID-19
Authors:   Siberian State Medical University, Tomsk, Russia, Sirotina A.S. , Sozonov A.S. ,   Siberian State Medical University, Tomsk, Russia, Kobyakova O.S. ,   Russian Research Institute of Health, Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, Moscow, Russia, Moscow, Russia, Deev I.A. ,   Russian Research Institute of Health, Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, Moscow, Russia, Moscow, Russia, Boykov V.A. ,   Siberian State Medical University, Tomsk, Russia, Baranovskaya S.V. ,   Siberian State Medical University, Tomsk, Russia, Shibalkov I.P. ,   Russian Research Institute of Health, Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, Moscow, Russia, Moscow, Russia, Zemtsov A.A. ,   Siberian State Medical University, Tomsk, Russia, Perfileva D.Y. ,   Siberian State Medical University, Tomsk, Russia, Proshutya S.A. ,   Department of Health of the Tomsk region, Tomsk, Russia
Published: August 2022

Significance. During the spread of the new coronavirus infection (COVID-19), digital technologies have proved to be promising organizational solutions, opening up new opportunities for managing the epidemiological process and enhancing adaptability of healthcare systems to the increased workload. Studying the experience of using computer technologies in a difficult epidemiological situation is necessary to identify main directions, results and problems related to the implementation of digital transformation in health during a pandemic. The purpose of the study is to summarize the experience of using modern digital technologies to optimize performance of healthcare systems in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Material and Methods. The following databases were searched for publications: PubMed, Scopus, ScienceDirect, Google Scholar, Web of Science, eLibrary. Various combinations of the words "COVID-19", "digital health", "telemedicine", "artificial intelligence", "machine learning", "internet of things (IoT)", "chatbot" were used as keywords. A total of 362 publications were analyzed, from which 36 studies corresponding to the chosen topic were selected. Results. Analysis of the experience of using modern digital technologies to optimize performance of healthcare systems in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic has shown that digital solutions can reduce burden on healthcare institutions and contribute to organizing an accessible and high-quality medical care by automated processes of diagnosis and triage. Care delivery through remote technologies has both reduced the risk of infection for patients and doctors by eliminating personal contacts and opened up new avenues of work of medical personnel. However, many issues related to the use of digital technologies in health remain unresolved, for example, patient data confidentiality, access to digital technologies among population, legal regulation, economic feasibility, etc. Conclusion. In a number of countries digital technologies have much supported the healthcare system during the COVID-19 pandemic. Further improvement of digital health tools, scale-up and analysis of medical, social and cost-effectiveness of their use can play an important role in optimizing the processes of diagnosis, treatment and prevention of not only the COVID-19, but also other diseases. To ensure a widespread and viability of digital technologies in healthcare, it is necessary to address the legal and financial issues associated with their use.