Implementations and strategies of telehealth during COVID-19 outbreak: a systematic review

BACKGROUND: Telehealth is an effective option to fight the outbreak of COVID-19. This review aims to systematically characterize the utilization and applications of telehealth during the COVID-19 pandemic focusing mainly on technology implementations. METHODS: This study was conducted in accordance with Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA). The literature search was conducted in Science Direct, IEEE XPLORE, Scopus, and Web of Science databases from January 2020 until July 2021, with an English language restriction. A quality assessment was based on the Critical Appraisal Skills Programs checklist. RESULTS: The included studies focused on the implementation of technology for telehealth, multidisciplinary approach, service satisfaction, guidelines, and medical training. They provided illustrative insight into the strategy of telehealth in different medical specialties, such as pediatric gastroenterology, oncology, ophthalmology, and laryngology. Nonsurgical specialties had the greatest number of telehealth visits. Clinicians showed positive attitudes toward the implementation of video telehealth visits; patients report high levels of satisfaction with this care and strong interest in continuing this modality as a significant portion of clinical practice. CONCLUSIONS: This systematic review provided an illustrative insight into the strategy of telehealth for different purposes. According to our findings, telehealth may be used in different medical area with a clear strategy of intervention according to patients’ and doctors’ needs. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12913-022-08235-4.