As the cases of Covid-19 are shooting up, we have seen an increase in digital tools, EHR guidance tools, chat bot helpers, and rapid-response test kits. The digital health community over the past few months has released new tools mainly to monitor the spread of the disease and facilitate proper treatment.
And according to CNBC, it sounds likem ore is still to come. Also tech giants Amazon, google and Facebook were sitting with the world health organisation to see how they can help in combating misinformation and the spread of the disease.
The medical community is working around the clock to search solutions to the spread of the disease mainly focusing on the vaccine and medical research. We bring you some of the technologies that are coming up during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Apple and Google team-up to fight the pandemic
The pandemic has forced tech giants to put aside the rivalry and tackle the main problem at hand. Apple and google announced plans to launch APIs that are going to enable interoperability between Android and iOS products by way of official apps from public health authorities.
They confirmed that these apps will available to the consumers for download from Google Play Store and App Store starting in May. The companies also promised that in an unspecified period of time, they are to build a Bluetooth based contact tracing functionality into their operating systems.
This strategy will be designed as an opt-in functionality but it would open the door for more participants and deeper data integration with health apps. "Privacy, transparency, and consent are of utmost importance in this effort, and we look forward to building this functionality in consultation with interested stakeholders," the companies wrote in their announcements. "We will openly publish information about our work for others to analyse."
Apple health check.
Apple launched a COVID-19 website and its corresponding app. The new site serves both as a screening tool and information centre. It was built out of collaboration between Apple, FEMA, CDC and the Whitehouse coronavirus task force. Users are able to answer a list of questions including exposure, and risk factors.
Alexa
Voice-powered health tech companies like Orbita have launched a new coronavirus-focused virtual assistant. This free tool is able to be integrated into other platforms that is to say
scheduling and telemedicine applications. It comes equipped with a conversational question-andanswer format and screen tools based on CDC formats.
Organizations also have the ability to integrate their custom content into the tech. "We asked ourselves in recent weeks, 'What can we do to make a difference?' and we quickly arrived at a logical decision for our company," Orbita CEO Bill Rogers said in a statement. "We're providing this COVID-19-specific chatbot free of charge to bring immediate support to organizations now scrambling to educate the public, provide rapid triage, and reduce infection risk, all within constraints of limited resources and rapidly changing circumstances."
Education focus
Patient engagement tool GetWellNetwork is adding free coronavirus management modules forh ealth systems and provider organizations. The two modules focus on screening and testing, self monitoring, self-quarantining, and symptoms monitoring. The company pitches these modules as a way to educate patients and share information with the broader community.
Facebook's latest Data
Facebook rolled out three maps through its Data for Good program aimed at tracking the potential spread of COVID-19. The company will share the maps, which are based off aggregated Facebook data, with research and public health organizations.
The first map is a co-location maps, used to determine the probability that Facebook users will come into contact with each other. The second shows whether people are staying at home on a county-by-county level, while the third is focused on insights around Facebook connections, such as Facebook Friends, across the globe.
Chatbot help
Jefferson Health system in partnership with LifeLink launched the initiative. The chabot uses AI and machine learning to help pre-screen for coronavirus symptoms. Patients can also use the bot to help figure out the right path for their treatment. “We must find ways to engage a high volume of patients that are coming to us for help,” Neil Gomes, EVP and chief digital officer at JeffersonHealth, said in a statement.
0 Comments