Different Ways Technology is Helping to Combat COVID-19 & Keep Humanity Connected As the healthcare industry uses all their resources to treat the growing number of COVID-19 cases worldwide, which at time of writing is over 1.6 million cases with almost 100,000 confirmed deaths, technology has become a useful tool to help monitor cases, share information, care for patients and ensure public safety. Outside of healthcare, the corporate world and school systems have also used technology as a means to carry on their business operations, such as using Zoom and other video conferencing websites to host virtual meetings and classroom sessions. In this article, we’ll highlight just some of the ways technology is helping to maintain quality of life during this unprecedented time where the need for responsible information sharing and connectivity during quarantine is at its highest.
Videoconferencing for Remote Care, Learning and Productivity
According to an article by HealthTech, the Sheba Medical Center in Tel Aviv, opened a coronavirus telemedicine program in March to physically isolate and treat Israeli patients. “A telehealth-driven model could be expanded in the U.S. if coronavirus cases grow, one federal official told National Public Radio,” the report notes. While China was dealing at COVID-19, 5G networking and communications equipment were installed at the West China Hospital of Sichuan University as a reactionary measure “to allow providers to conduct the first remote diagnosis of coronavirus with the help of a telehealth system. The initiative will be expanded to other hospitals,” HealthTech reports. In other countries like the U.S., many employees are working from home under state- or self-imposed quarantines, and they are using remote work tools such as Zoom video conferencing to help keep in
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touch with their colleagues, CNBC reports. Americans are also using Zoom to connect with friends and family by hosting virtual gatherings. Zoom, like FaceTime and Skype, is a useful tool for socializing with others without the risk of exposure. School districts and universities have also taken on Zoom as a form of communication between students and teachers as most school campuses in some states have been closed for the rest of the school year. In lieu of traditional face-to-face teaching, school courses have transitioned to an on-line format and classroom sessions are now held virtually. This change has put pressure on teachers and students alike. Teachers have to not only learn new technology but also use it effectively to relay information to their students in a structured manner. Students, and their parents, on the other hand, have to create a productive learning environment in their homes amongst the other responsibilities they have to conduct at home.
Robots Assist Patient Care
While communication tools have helped healthcare workers keep in touch and share timely information with each other, robots have been used as a medium between physicians and their COVID-19 patients. Providence, the nation’s third-largest healthcare system, was the first in the United States to treat a patient with COVID-19. HealthTech reports that in late January, physicians at Providence Regional Medical Center in Everett, Washington, used a robot to check a patient’s vitals with a stethoscope and communicate with them with the robot’s builtin screen. With a remote-controlled telehealth cart, physicians were able to conduct basic diagnostic functions, including taking blood pressure and temperature. Providence Regional Medical Center’s Chief Clinical
