Hostname: page-component-76fb5796d-zzh7m Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-27T17:18:35.178Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Effect of the Announcement of Human-to-Human Transmission on Telemedicine Services in China During COVID-19

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 December 2022

Mairehaba Maimaitiming ,
Jingui Xie ,
Zhichao Zheng  and
Yongjian Zhu Open the ORCID record for Yongjian Zhu [Opens in a new window]
Mairehaba Maimaitiming
Affiliation:
School of Management, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China
Jingui Xie
Affiliation:
School of Management, Technical University of Munich, Heilbronn, Germany
Zhichao Zheng
Affiliation:
Lee Kong Chian School of Business, Singapore Management University, Singapore
Yongjian Zhu*
Affiliation:
School of Management, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China
*
Corresponding author: Yongjian Zhu, Email: ustczyj@mail.ustc.edu.cn.
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Objectives:

Telemedicine enables patients to communicate with physicians effectively, especially during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. However, few studies have explored the use of online health care platforms for a comprehensive range of specialties during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study aimed to investigate how telemedicine services were affected by the announcement of human-to-human transmission in China.

Methods:

Telemedicine data from haodf.com in China were collected. A difference-in-differences analysis compared the number of telemedicine use and the number of active online physicians for different specialties in 2020 with the numbers in 2019, before and after the announcement of human-to-human transmission.

Results:

Data from 2 473 734 telemedicine use during the same calendar time in 2020 and 2019 were collected. Telemedicine use in 2020 increased by 349.9% after the announcement of human-to-human transmission in China, and the number of active online physicians increased by 23.2%. The difference-in-differences analysis indicated that the announcement had statistically significant positive effects on the numbers of telemedicine use for almost all specialties, except cosmetic dermatology, pathology, occupational diseases, sports medicine, burn, medical imaging, and interventional medicine.

Conclusion:

Telemedicine services increased significantly after the announcement of human-to-human transmission of COVID-19. Online activities of most specialties increased, except where providers had to conduct in-person testing and provide bedside therapies.

Keywords

COVID-19teleconsultationtelehealthtelemedicine
Type
Original Research
Information
Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness , Volume 17 , 2023 , e311
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2022. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Society for Disaster Medicine and Public Health, Inc.

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

The National Health Commission of the People’s Republic of China and Relevant Departments Jointly Responded to the Coronavirus. National Health Commission of the People’s Republic of China. Published January 21, 2020. Accessed September 3, 2021, http://www.nhc.gov.cn/xcs/fkdt/202001/d9570f3a52614113ae0093df51509684.shtml Google Scholar
Zhu, Y, Fu, KW, Grepin, KA, et al. Limited early warnings and public attention to coronavirus disease 2019 in China, January-February, 2020: a longitudinal cohort of randomly sampled Weibo users. Disaster Med Public Health Prep. 2020;14(5):e24-e27. doi: 10.1017/dmp.2020.68 Google ScholarPubMed
Wu, Y, Zhang, C, Liu, H, et al. Perinatal depressive and anxiety symptoms of pregnant women during the coronavirus disease 2019 outbreak in China. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2020;223(2):240-e1. doi: 10.1016/j.ajog.2020.05.009 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Pascarella, G, Strumia, A, Piliego, C, et al. COVID-19 diagnosis and management: a comprehensive review. J Intern Med. 2020;288(2):192-206. doi: 10.1111/joim.13091 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Fang, H, Wang, L, Yang, Y. Human mobility restrictions and the spread of the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) in China. J Public Econ. 2020;191:104272. doi: 10.1016/j.jpubeco.2020.104272 Google ScholarPubMed
Aliakbar Kabiri, AD, Zhou, W, Sun, Q, Zhang, L. How different age groups responded to the COVID-19 pandemic in terms of mobility behaviors: a case study of the United States. 2020;arXiv preprint arXiv:2007.10436.Google Scholar
Chudasama, YV, Gillies, CL, Zaccardi, F, et al. Impact of COVID-19 on routine care for chronic diseases: a global survey of views from healthcare professionals. Diabetes Metab Syndr. 2020;14(5):965-967. doi: 10.1016/j.dsx.2020.06.042 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Guarino, M, Cossiga, V, Fiorentino, A, et al. Use of telemedicine for chronic liver disease at a single care center during the COVID-19 pandemic: prospective observational study. J Med Internet Res. 2020;22(9):e20874. doi: 10.2196/20874 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Zhong, B, Huang, Y, Liu, Q. Mental health toll from the coronavirus: social media usage reveals Wuhan residents’ depression and secondary trauma in the COVID-19 outbreak. Comput Human Behav. 2021;114:106524. doi: 10.1016/j.chb.2020.106524 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Niu, Z, Wang, T, Hu, P, et al. Chinese public’s engagement in preventive and intervening health behaviors during the early breakout of COVID-19: cross-sectional study. J Med Internet Res. 2020;22(8):e19995. doi: 10.2196/19995 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Li, L, Liu, G, Xu, W, et al. Effects of Internet hospital consultations on psychological burdens and disease knowledge during the early outbreak of COVID-19 in China: cross-sectional survey study. J Med Internet Res. 2020;22(8):e19551. doi: 10.2196/19551 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Gong, K, Xu, Z, Cai, Z, et al. Internet hospitals help prevent and control the epidemic of COVID-19 in China: multicenter user profiling study. J Med Internet Res. 2020;22(4):e18908. doi: 10.2196/18908 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Notice of Providing Internet Diagnosis and Consulting Services During the COVID-19 from the National Health Commission of the People’s Republic of China. National Health Commission of the People’s Republic of China. Published February 7, 2020. Accessed September 3, 2021. http://www.nhc.gov.cn/yzygj/s7653p/202002/ec5e345814e744398c2adef17b657fb8.shtml Google Scholar
Liu, S, Yang, L, Zhang, C, et al. Online mental health services in China during the COVID-19 outbreak. Lancet Psychiatry. 2020;7(4):e17-e18. doi: 10.1016/S2215-0366(20)30077-8 Google ScholarPubMed
Ding, L, She, Q, Chen, F, et al. The Internet hospital plus drug delivery platform for health management during the COVID-19 pandemic: observational study. J Med Internet Res. 2020;22(8):e19678. doi: 10.2196/19678 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Sinha, S, Kern, LM, Gingras, LF, et al. Implementation of video visits during COVID-19: lessons learned from a primary care practice in New York City. Front Public Health. 2020;8:514. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2020.00514 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Baum, A, Kaboli, PJ, Schwartz, MD. Reduced in-person and increased telehealth outpatient visits during the COVID-19 pandemic. Ann Intern Med. 2021;174(1):129-131. doi: 10.7326/M20-3026 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Mann, DM, Chen, J, Chunara, R, et al. COVID-19 transforms health care through telemedicine: evidence from the field. J Am Med Inform Assoc. 2020;27(7):1132-1135. doi: 10.1093/jamia/ocaa072 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Tanaka, T, Okamoto, S. Increase in suicide following an initial decline during the COVID-19 pandemic in Japan. Nat Hum Behavi. 2021;5(2):229-238. doi: 10.1038/s41562-020-01042-z CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
He, G, Pan, Y, Tanaka, T. The short-term impacts of COVID-19 lockdown on urban air pollution in China. Nat Sustain. 2020;3(12):1005-1011. doi: 10.1038/s41893-020-0581-y CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wang, L, Yan, L, Zhou, T, et al. Understanding physicians’ online-offline behavior dynamics: an empirical study. Inform Syst Res. 2020;31(2):537-555. doi: 10.1287/isre.2019.0901 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kraemer, MUG, Yang, CH, Gutierrez, B, et al. The effect of human mobility and control measures on the COVID-19 epidemic in China. Science. 2020;368(6490):493-497. doi: 10.1126/science.abb4218 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Chen, S, Yang, J, Yang, W, et al. COVID-19 control in China during mass population movements at New Year. Lancet. 2020;395(10226):764-766. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(20)30421-9 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Li, P, Liu, X, Mason, E, et al. How telemedicine integrated into China’s anti-COVID-19 strategies: case from a national referral center. BMJ Health Care Inform. 2020;27(3):e100164. doi: 10.1136/bmjhci-2020-100164 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Laato, S, Islam, AKMN, Islam, MN, Whelan, E. What drives unverified information sharing and cyberchondria during the COVID-19 pandemic? Eur J Inform Syst. 2020;29(3):288-305. doi: 10.1080/0960085x.2020.1770632 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Shangguan, Z, Wang, MY, Sun, W. What caused the outbreak of COVID-19 in China: from the perspective of crisis management. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2020;17(9):3279. doi: 10.3390/ijerph17093279 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Notification on the Diagnosis and Treatment Plan for the Coronavirus Infection (the Third Trial Version). National Health Commission of the People’s Republic of China. Published January 23, 2020. Accessed September 3, 2021. http://www.nhc.gov.cn/yzygj/s7653p/202001/f492c9153ea9437bb587ce2ffcbee1fa.shtml Google Scholar
Yang, Y, Islam, MS, Wang, J, et al. Traditional Chinese medicine in the treatment of patients infected with 2019-new coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2): a review and perspective. Int J Biol Sci. 2020;16(10):1708-1717. doi: 10.7150/ijbs.45538 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Zhao, Z, Li, Y, Zhou, L, et al. Prevention and treatment of COVID-19 using Traditional Chinese medicine: a review. Phytomedicine. 2021;85:153308. doi: 10.1016/j.phymed.2020.153308 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ren, JL, Zhang, AH, Wang, XJ. Traditional Chinese medicine for COVID-19 treatment. Pharmacol Res. 2020;155:104743. doi: 10.1016/j.phrs.2020.104743 Google ScholarPubMed
Liu, M, Gao, Y, Yuan, Y, et al. Efficacy and safety of integrated traditional Chinese and Western medicine for corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19): a systematic review and meta-analysis. Pharmacol Res. 2020;158:104896. doi: 10.1016/j.phrs.2020.104896 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Wang, H, Xu, B, Zhang, Y, et al. Efficacy and safety of traditional Chinese medicine in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19): a systematic review and meta-analysis. Front Pharmacol. 2021;12:609213. doi: 10.3389/fphar.2021.609213 Google ScholarPubMed
Zhang, L, Yu, J, Zhou, Y, et al. Becoming a faithful defender: traditional Chinese medicine against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Am J Chin Med. 2020;48(4):763-777. doi: 10.1142/S0192415X2050038X CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Pan, A, Liu, L, Wang, C, et al. Association of public health interventions with the epidemiology of the COVID-19 outbreak in Wuhan, China. JAMA. 2020;323(19):1915-1923. doi: 10.1001/jama.2020.6130 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lonergan, PE, Washington Iii, SL, Branagan, L, et al. Rapid utilization of telehealth in a comprehensive cancer center as a response to COVID-19: cross-sectional analysis. J Med Internet Res. 2020;22(7):e19322. doi: 10.2196/19322 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gilson, SF, Umscheid, CA, Laiteerapong, N, et al. Growth of ambulatory virtual visits and differential use by patient sociodemographics at one urban academic medical center during the COVID-19 pandemic: retrospective analysis. JMIR Med Inform. 2020;8(12):e24544. doi: 10.2196/24544 Google ScholarPubMed
Supplementary material: File

Maimaitiming et al. supplementary material

Figures S1-S2

Download Maimaitiming et al. supplementary material(File)
File 260.5 KB