The Use of COVID-19 Mobile Apps in Connecting Patients with Primary Healthcare in 30 Countries: Eurodata Study (2024)

Gómez-Bravo, R., Ares-Blanco, S., Gefaell Larrondo, I., Ramos Del Rio, L., Adler, L., Assenova, R., Bakola, M., Bayen, S., Brutskaya-Stempkovskaya, E., Busneag, I. C., Divjak, A. Ć., Peña, M. D., Domeyer, P. R., Feldmane, S., Fitzgerald, L., Gjorgjievski, D., Gómez-Johansson, M., Hanževački, M., Ilkov, O., ... Hoffmann, K. (2024). The Use of COVID-19 Mobile Apps in Connecting Patients with Primary Healthcare in 30 Countries: Eurodata Study. Healthcare (Switzerland), 12(14), Article 1420. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare12141420

Gómez-Bravo, Raquel ; Ares-Blanco, Sara ; Gefaell Larrondo, Ileana et al. / The Use of COVID-19 Mobile Apps in Connecting Patients with Primary Healthcare in 30 Countries : Eurodata Study. In: Healthcare (Switzerland). 2024 ; Vol. 12, No. 14.

@article{44db08389a0945a59e43eac04614b347,

title = "The Use of COVID-19 Mobile Apps in Connecting Patients with Primary Healthcare in 30 Countries: Eurodata Study",

abstract = "Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has necessitated changes in European healthcare systems, with a significant proportion of COVID-19 cases being managed on an outpatient basis in primary healthcare (PHC). To alleviate the burden on healthcare facilities, many European countries developed contact-tracing apps and symptom checkers to identify potential cases. As the pandemic evolved, the European Union introduced the Digital COVID-19 Certificate for travel, which relies on vaccination, recent recovery, or negative test results. However, the integration between these apps and PHC has not been thoroughly explored in Europe. Objective: To describe if governmental COVID-19 apps allowed COVID-19 patients to connect with PHC through their apps in Europe and to examine how the Digital COVID-19 Certificate was obtained. Methodology: Design and setting: Retrospective descriptive study in PHC in 30 European countries. An ad hoc, semi-structured questionnaire was developed to collect country-specific data on primary healthcare activity during the COVID-19 pandemic and the use of information technology tools to support medical care from 15 March 2020 to 31 August 2021. Key informants belong to the WONCA Europe network (World Organization of Family Doctors). The data were collected from relevant and reliable official sources, such as governmental websites and guidelines. Main outcome measures: Patient{\textquoteright}s first contact with health system, governmental COVID-19 app (name and function), Digital COVID-19 Certification, COVID-19 app connection with PHC. Results: Primary care was the first point of care for suspected COVID-19 patients in 28 countries, and 24 countries developed apps to complement classical medical care. The most frequently developed app was for tracing COVID-19 cases (24 countries), followed by the Digital COVID-19 Certificate app (17 countries). Bulgaria, Italy, Serbia, North Macedonia, and Romania had interoperability between PHC and COVID-19 apps, and Poland and Romania{\textquoteright}s apps considered social needs. Conclusions: COVID-19 apps were widely created during the first pandemic year. Contact tracing was the most frequent function found in the registered apps. Connection with PHC was scarcely developed. In future pandemics, connections between health system levels should be guaranteed to develop and implement effective strategies for managing diseases.",

keywords = "app, COVID-19, e-health, health information interoperability, primary healthcare, 3141 Health care science",

author = "Raquel G{\'o}mez-Bravo and Sara Ares-Blanco and {Gefaell Larrondo}, Ileana and {Ramos Del Rio}, Lourdes and Limor Adler and Radost Assenova and Maria Bakola and Sabine Bayen and Elena Brutskaya-Stempkovskaya and Busneag, {Iliana Carmen} and Divjak, {Asja {\'C}osi{\'c}} and Pe{\~n}a, {Maryher Delphin} and Domeyer, {Philippe Richard} and Sabine Feldmane and Louise Fitzgerald and Dragan Gjorgjievski and Mila G{\'o}mez-Johansson and Miroslav Han{\v z}eva{\v c}ki and Oksana Ilkov and Shushman Ivanna and Marijana Jandri{\'c}-Ko{\v c}i{\'c} and Karathanos, {Vasilis Trifon} and Erva {\"U}c{\"u}nc{\"u} and Aleksandar Kirkovski and Sne{\v z}ana Kne{\v z}evi{\'c} and Korkmaz, {B{\"u}sra {\c C}imen} and Milena Kosti{\'c} and Anna Krzto{\'n}-Kr{\'o}lewiecka and Liga Kozlovska and Heidrun Lingner and Liubovė Murauskienė and Katarzyna Nessler and {Parodi L{\'o}pez}, Naldy and {\'A}bel Perj{\'e}s and Davorina Petek and Ferdinando Petrazzuoli and Goranka Petricek and Martin Sattler and Bohumil Seifert and Alice Serafini and Theresa Sentker and Gunta Ticmane and Paula Tiili and P{\'e}ter Torzsa and Kirsi Valtonen and Bert Vaes and Shlomo Vinker and Neves, {Ana Luisa} and Marina Guisado-Clavero and Astier-Pe{\~n}a, {Mar{\'i}a Pilar} and Kathryn Hoffmann",

note = "Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2024 by the authors.",

year = "2024",

month = jul,

doi = "10.3390/healthcare12141420",

language = "English",

volume = "12",

journal = "Healthcare (Switzerland)",

issn = "2227-9032",

publisher = "MDPI",

number = "14",

}

The Use of COVID-19 Mobile Apps in Connecting Patients with Primary Healthcare in 30 Countries: Eurodata Study. / Gómez-Bravo, Raquel; Ares-Blanco, Sara; Gefaell Larrondo, Ileana et al.
In: Healthcare (Switzerland), Vol. 12, No. 14, 1420, 07.2024.

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Scientific › peer-review

TY - JOUR

T1 - The Use of COVID-19 Mobile Apps in Connecting Patients with Primary Healthcare in 30 Countries

T2 - Eurodata Study

AU - Gómez-Bravo, Raquel

AU - Ares-Blanco, Sara

AU - Gefaell Larrondo, Ileana

AU - Ramos Del Rio, Lourdes

AU - Adler, Limor

AU - Assenova, Radost

AU - Bakola, Maria

AU - Bayen, Sabine

AU - Brutskaya-Stempkovskaya, Elena

AU - Busneag, Iliana Carmen

AU - Divjak, Asja Ćosić

AU - Peña, Maryher Delphin

AU - Domeyer, Philippe Richard

AU - Feldmane, Sabine

AU - Fitzgerald, Louise

AU - Gjorgjievski, Dragan

AU - Gómez-Johansson, Mila

AU - Hanževački, Miroslav

AU - Ilkov, Oksana

AU - Ivanna, Shushman

AU - Jandrić-Kočić, Marijana

AU - Karathanos, Vasilis Trifon

AU - Ücüncü, Erva

AU - Kirkovski, Aleksandar

AU - Knežević, Snežana

AU - Korkmaz, Büsra Çimen

AU - Kostić, Milena

AU - Krztoń-Królewiecka, Anna

AU - Kozlovska, Liga

AU - Lingner, Heidrun

AU - Murauskienė, Liubovė

AU - Nessler, Katarzyna

AU - Parodi López, Naldy

AU - Perjés, Ábel

AU - Petek, Davorina

AU - Petrazzuoli, Ferdinando

AU - Petricek, Goranka

AU - Sattler, Martin

AU - Seifert, Bohumil

AU - Serafini, Alice

AU - Sentker, Theresa

AU - Ticmane, Gunta

AU - Tiili, Paula

AU - Torzsa, Péter

AU - Valtonen, Kirsi

AU - Vaes, Bert

AU - Vinker, Shlomo

AU - Neves, Ana Luisa

AU - Guisado-Clavero, Marina

AU - Astier-Peña, María Pilar

AU - Hoffmann, Kathryn

N1 - Publisher Copyright:© 2024 by the authors.

PY - 2024/7

Y1 - 2024/7

N2 - Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has necessitated changes in European healthcare systems, with a significant proportion of COVID-19 cases being managed on an outpatient basis in primary healthcare (PHC). To alleviate the burden on healthcare facilities, many European countries developed contact-tracing apps and symptom checkers to identify potential cases. As the pandemic evolved, the European Union introduced the Digital COVID-19 Certificate for travel, which relies on vaccination, recent recovery, or negative test results. However, the integration between these apps and PHC has not been thoroughly explored in Europe. Objective: To describe if governmental COVID-19 apps allowed COVID-19 patients to connect with PHC through their apps in Europe and to examine how the Digital COVID-19 Certificate was obtained. Methodology: Design and setting: Retrospective descriptive study in PHC in 30 European countries. An ad hoc, semi-structured questionnaire was developed to collect country-specific data on primary healthcare activity during the COVID-19 pandemic and the use of information technology tools to support medical care from 15 March 2020 to 31 August 2021. Key informants belong to the WONCA Europe network (World Organization of Family Doctors). The data were collected from relevant and reliable official sources, such as governmental websites and guidelines. Main outcome measures: Patient’s first contact with health system, governmental COVID-19 app (name and function), Digital COVID-19 Certification, COVID-19 app connection with PHC. Results: Primary care was the first point of care for suspected COVID-19 patients in 28 countries, and 24 countries developed apps to complement classical medical care. The most frequently developed app was for tracing COVID-19 cases (24 countries), followed by the Digital COVID-19 Certificate app (17 countries). Bulgaria, Italy, Serbia, North Macedonia, and Romania had interoperability between PHC and COVID-19 apps, and Poland and Romania’s apps considered social needs. Conclusions: COVID-19 apps were widely created during the first pandemic year. Contact tracing was the most frequent function found in the registered apps. Connection with PHC was scarcely developed. In future pandemics, connections between health system levels should be guaranteed to develop and implement effective strategies for managing diseases.

AB - Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has necessitated changes in European healthcare systems, with a significant proportion of COVID-19 cases being managed on an outpatient basis in primary healthcare (PHC). To alleviate the burden on healthcare facilities, many European countries developed contact-tracing apps and symptom checkers to identify potential cases. As the pandemic evolved, the European Union introduced the Digital COVID-19 Certificate for travel, which relies on vaccination, recent recovery, or negative test results. However, the integration between these apps and PHC has not been thoroughly explored in Europe. Objective: To describe if governmental COVID-19 apps allowed COVID-19 patients to connect with PHC through their apps in Europe and to examine how the Digital COVID-19 Certificate was obtained. Methodology: Design and setting: Retrospective descriptive study in PHC in 30 European countries. An ad hoc, semi-structured questionnaire was developed to collect country-specific data on primary healthcare activity during the COVID-19 pandemic and the use of information technology tools to support medical care from 15 March 2020 to 31 August 2021. Key informants belong to the WONCA Europe network (World Organization of Family Doctors). The data were collected from relevant and reliable official sources, such as governmental websites and guidelines. Main outcome measures: Patient’s first contact with health system, governmental COVID-19 app (name and function), Digital COVID-19 Certification, COVID-19 app connection with PHC. Results: Primary care was the first point of care for suspected COVID-19 patients in 28 countries, and 24 countries developed apps to complement classical medical care. The most frequently developed app was for tracing COVID-19 cases (24 countries), followed by the Digital COVID-19 Certificate app (17 countries). Bulgaria, Italy, Serbia, North Macedonia, and Romania had interoperability between PHC and COVID-19 apps, and Poland and Romania’s apps considered social needs. Conclusions: COVID-19 apps were widely created during the first pandemic year. Contact tracing was the most frequent function found in the registered apps. Connection with PHC was scarcely developed. In future pandemics, connections between health system levels should be guaranteed to develop and implement effective strategies for managing diseases.

KW - app

KW - COVID-19

KW - e-health

KW - health information interoperability

KW - primary healthcare

KW - 3141 Health care science

U2 - 10.3390/healthcare12141420

DO - 10.3390/healthcare12141420

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:85199896980

SN - 2227-9032

VL - 12

JO - Healthcare (Switzerland)

JF - Healthcare (Switzerland)

IS - 14

M1 - 1420

ER -

Gómez-Bravo R, Ares-Blanco S, Gefaell Larrondo I, Ramos Del Rio L, Adler L, Assenova R et al. The Use of COVID-19 Mobile Apps in Connecting Patients with Primary Healthcare in 30 Countries: Eurodata Study. Healthcare (Switzerland). 2024 Jul;12(14):1420. doi: 10.3390/healthcare12141420