Utilization of Telehealth in Improving the Quality of Health Services During the Pandemic: Systematic Review

  • Khaeratunnafisah Khaeratunnafisah Alauddin State Islamic University Makassar
  • Karani Lizbeth The Technical University of Kenya
DOI: https://doi.org/10.37251/jhiee.v2i1.1723
Keywords: Health, Health Services, Systematic Review, Telehealth

Abstract

Purpose of the study: This study aims to determine the use of telehealth in health services during the pandemic, and to determine the types of platforms used in health services during the pandemic.

Methodology: This study is a review using the Systematic Review method using the PRISMA 2009 checklist guidelines which was then followed by the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP).

Main Findings: A total of 10,384 articles were identified from four types of database searches, namely Pubmed, Scopus, Science Direct, and Proquest, which had been filtered with a publication limit of the last 3 years (2019-2021). However, after screening, 9,750 articles were found that did not match the research questions and objectives, leaving 10 articles that were similar to the research topic.

Novelty/Originality of this study: This study presents novelty by systematically summarizing various recent findings related to the use of telehealth as an innovative strategy in improving the quality of health services during the pandemic, especially in overcoming limited access and direct interaction between medical personnel and patients.

Author Biographies

Khaeratunnafisah Khaeratunnafisah, Alauddin State Islamic University Makassar

Nursing Study Program, Alauddin State Islamic University Makassar, South Sulawesi, Indonesia

Karani Lizbeth, The Technical University of Kenya

School of Health and Biomedical Sciences, The Technical University of Kenya, Nairobi, Kenya

References

D. S. Hui, E. I. Azhar, T. A. Madani, F. Ntoumi, R. Kock, O. Dar, et al., "The continuing 2019-nCoV epidemic threat of novel coronaviruses to global health—The latest 2019 novel coronavirus outbreak in Wuhan, China," Int. J. Infect. Dis., vol. 91, pp. 264–266, 2020, doi: 10.1016/j.ijid.2020.01.009.

A. Lee, "Wuhan novel coronavirus (COVID-19): why global control is challenging?," Public Health, vol. 179, p. A1, 2020, doi: 10.1016/j.puhe.2020.02.001.

A. V. Silven, A. H. J. Petrus, M. Villalobos-Quesada, E. Dirikgil, C. R. Oerlemans, C. P. Landstra, et al., "Telemonitoring for patients with COVID-19: Recommendations for design and implementation," J. Med. Internet Res., vol. 22, no. 9, 2020, doi: 10.2196/20953.

K. Dhama, S. Khan, R. Tiwari, S. Sircar, S. Bhat, Y. S. Malik, K. P. Singh, W. Chaicumpa, D. K. Bonilla-Aldana, and A. J. Rodriguez-Morales, "Coronavirus Disease 2019–COVID-19," Clin. Microbiol. Rev., vol. 33, 2020, doi: 10.1128/cmr.00028-20.

N. Decaro and A. Lorusso, "Novel human coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2): A lesson from animal coronaviruses," Vet. Microbiol., vol. 244, p. 108693, 2020, doi: 10.1016/j.vetmic.2020.108693.

A. El-Sayed and M. Kamel, "Coronaviruses in humans and animals: the role of bats in viral evolution," Environ. Sci. Pollut. Res., vol. 28, no. 16, pp. 19589–19600, 2021, doi: 10.1007/s11356-021-12553-1.

H. K. Mohajan, "Global COVID-19 pandemic: prevention and protection techniques," J. Econ. Dev. Environ. People, vol. 10, no. 1, pp. 51–72, 2021.

I. Bergeri, M. G. Whelan, H. Ware, L. Subissi, A. Nardone, H. C. Lewis, et al., "Global SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence from January 2020 to April 2022: A systematic review and meta-analysis of standardized population-based studies," PLoS Med., vol. 19, no. 11, p. e1004107, 2022, doi: 10.1371/journal.pmed.1004107.

M. Amaku, D. T. Covas, F. A. B. Coutinho, R. S. Azevedo, and E. Massad, "Modelling the impact of delaying vaccination against SARS-CoV-2 assuming unlimited vaccine supply," Theor. Biol. Med. Model., vol. 18, pp. 1–11, 2021, doi: 10.1186/s12976-021-00143-0.

J. Nyasulu and H. Pandya, "The effects of coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic on the South African health system: A call to maintain essential health services," Afr. J. Prim. Health Care Fam. Med., vol. 12, no. 1, pp. 1–5, 2020. https://hdl.handle.net/10520/EJC-1ead3a4d96

W. Enbiale, S. G. Abdela, M. Seyum, D. B. Hundie, K. A. Bogale, K. S. Tamirat, et al., "Effect of the COVID-19 pandemic preparation and response on essential health services in primary and tertiary healthcare settings of Amhara region, Ethiopia," Am. J. Trop. Med. Hyg., vol. 105, no. 5, p. 1240, 2021, doi: 10.4269/ajtmh.21-0354.

E. Webb, C. Hernández-Quevedo, G. Williams, G. Scarpetti, S. Reed, and D. Panteli, "Providing health services effectively during the first wave of COVID-19: A cross-country comparison on planning services, managing cases, and maintaining essential services," Health Policy, vol. 126, no. 5, pp. 382–390, 2022, doi: 10.1016/j.healthpol.2021.04.016.

T. Sundararaman, V. R. Muraleedharan, and A. Ranjan, "Pandemic resilience and health systems preparedness: Lessons from COVID-19 for the twenty-first century," J. Soc. Econ. Dev., vol. 23, Suppl. 2, pp. 290–300, 2021, doi: 10.1007/s40847-020-00133-x.

S. Mustafa, Y. Zhang, Z. Zibwowa, R. Seifeldin, L. Ako-Egbe, G. McDarby, et al., "COVID-19 preparedness and response plans from 106 countries: A review from a health systems resilience perspective," Health Policy Plan., vol. 37, no. 2, pp. 255–268, 2022, doi: 10.1093/heapol/czab089.

L. Zhao, Y. Jin, L. Zhou, P. Yang, Y. Qian, X. Huang, and M. Min, "Evaluation of health system resilience in 60 countries based on their responses to COVID-19," Front. Public Health, vol. 10, p. 1081068, 2023, doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2022.1081068.

P. Barach, S. D. Fisher, M. J. Adams, G. R. Burstein, P. D. Brophy, D. Z. Kuo, and S. E. Lipshultz, "Disruption of healthcare: Will the COVID pandemic worsen non-COVID outcomes and disease outbreaks?," Prog. Pediatr. Cardiol., vol. 59, p. 101254, 2020, doi: 10.1016/j.ppedcard.2020.101254.

J. G. Adams and R. M. Walls, "Supporting the health care workforce during the COVID-19 global epidemic," JAMA, vol. 323, no. 15, pp. 1439–1440, 2020, doi: 10.1001/jama.2020.3972.

Q. Liu, D. Luo, J. E. Haase, Q. Guo, X. Q. Wang, S. Liu, et al., "The experiences of health-care providers during the COVID-19 crisis in China: A qualitative study," Lancet Glob. Health, vol. 8, no. 6, pp. e790–e798, 2020, doi: 10.1016/S2214-109X(20)30204-7.

T. Ibn-Mohammed, K. B. Mustapha, J. Godsell, Z. Adamu, K. A. Babatunde, D. D. Akintade, et al., "A critical analysis of the impacts of COVID-19 on the global economy and ecosystems and opportunities for circular economy strategies," Resour. Conserv. Recycl., vol. 164, p. 105169, 2021, doi: 10.1016/j.resconrec.2020.105169.

D. Kringos, F. Carinci, E. Barbazza, V. Bos, K. Gilmore, O. Groene, et al., "Managing COVID-19 within and across health systems: Why we need performance intelligence to coordinate a global response," Health Res. Policy Syst., vol. 18, pp. 1–8, 2020, doi: 10.1186/s12961-020-00593-x.

M. Poongodi, M. Malviya, M. Hamdi, H. T. Rauf, S. Kadry, and O. Thinnukool, "The recent technologies to curb the second-wave of COVID-19 pandemic," IEEE Access, vol. 9, pp. 97906–97928, 2021, doi: 10.1109/ACCESS.2021.3094400.

R. Ohannessian, T. A. Duong, and A. Odone, "Global telemedicine implementation and integration within health systems to fight the COVID-19 pandemic: A call to action," JMIR Public Health Surveill., vol. 6, no. 2, p. e18810, 2020, doi: 10.2196/18810.

A. Sharma, M. Pruthi, and G. Sageena, "Adoption of telehealth technologies: An approach to improving healthcare system," Transl. Med. Commun., vol. 7, no. 1, p. 20, 2022, doi: 10.1186/s41231-022-00125-5.

S. Omboni, R. S. Padwal, T. Alessa, B. Benczúr, B. B. Green, I. Hubbard, et al., "The worldwide impact of telemedicine during COVID-19: Current evidence and recommendations for the future," Connect. Health, vol. 1, p. 7, 2022, doi: 10.20517/ch.2021.03.

J. Fang, Y. T. Liu, E. Y. Lee, and K. Yadav, "Telehealth solutions for in-hospital communication with patients under isolation during COVID-19," West. J. Emerg. Med., vol. 21, no. 4, p. 801, 2020, doi: 10.5811/westjem.2020.5.48165.

V. A. Wade, J. Karnon, A. G. Elshaug, and J. E. Hiller, "A systematic review of economic analyses of telehealth services using real time video communication," BMC Health Serv. Res., vol. 10, p. 233, 2010, doi: 10.1186/1472-6963-10-233.

X. Ren, Y. Zhai, X. Song, Z. Wang, D. Dou, and Y. Li, "The application of mobile telehealth system to facilitate patient information presentation and case discussion," Telemed. e-Health, vol. 26, no. 6, pp. 725–733, 2020, doi: 10.1089/tmj.2020.0084.

R. Khandelwal, A. Kolte, and M. Rossi, "A study on entrepreneurial opportunities in digital health-care post-COVID-19 from the perspective of developing countries," Foresight, vol. 24, no. 3/4, pp. 527–544, 2022, doi: 10.1108/FS-02-2021-0043.

N. Viswanadham, "Ecosystem model for healthcare platform," Sādhanā, vol. 46, no. 4, p. 188, 2021, doi: 10.1007/s12046-021-01708-y.

D. Sharma and S. Gupta, "The role of E-Government in modern public health systems," in Startup-Driven E-Government: Digital Innovation for Sustainable Ecosystems, IGI Global Scientific Publishing, 2025, pp. 239–272, doi: 10.4018/979-8-3373-0817-3.ch010.

R. Bhatia, "Telehealth and COVID-19: Using technology to accelerate the curve on access and quality healthcare for citizens in India," Technol. Soc., vol. 64, p. 101465, 2021, doi: 10.1016/j.techsoc.2020.101465.

S. H. Tan, Y. Y. Yap, S. K. Tan, and C. K. Wong, "Determinants of telehealth adoption among older adults: Cross-sectional survey study," JMIR Aging, vol. 8, no. 1, p. e60936, 2025, doi: 10.2196/60936.

B. E. Bunnell, J. F. Barrera, S. R. Paige, D. Turner, and B. M. Welch, "Acceptability of telemedicine features to promote its uptake in practice: A survey of community telemental health providers," Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health, vol. 17, no. 22, p. 8525, 2020, doi: 10.3390/ijerph17228525.

J. Ye, L. He, and M. Beestrum, "Implications for implementation and adoption of telehealth in developing countries: A systematic review of China’s practices and experiences," NPJ Digit. Med., vol. 6, no. 1, p. 174, 2023, doi: 10.1038/s41746-023-00908-6.

M. A. Hincapié, J. C. Gallego, A. Gempeler, J. A. Piñeros, D. Nasner, and M. F. Escobar, "Implementation and usefulness of telemedicine during the COVID-19 pandemic: A scoping review," J. Prim. Care Community Health, vol. 11, p. 2150132720980612, 2020, doi: 10.1177/2150132720980612.

K. R. Palmer, M. Tanner, M. Davies-Tuck, A. Rindt, K. Papacostas, M. L. Giles, et al., "Widespread implementation of a low-cost telehealth service in the delivery of antenatal care during the COVID-19 pandemic: An interrupted time-series analysis," Lancet, vol. 398, no. 10294, pp. 41–52, 2021, doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(21)00668-1.

R. E. Scott and M. Mars, "Telehealth in the developing world: Current status and future prospects," Smart Homecare Technol. TeleHealth, pp. 25–37, 2015, doi: 10.2147/SHTT.S75184.

D. A. Hoffman, "Increasing access to care: Telehealth during COVID-19," J. Law Biosci., vol. 7, no. 1, p. lsaa043, 2020, doi: 10.1093/jlb/lsaa043.

E. Monaghesh and A. Hajizadeh, "The role of telehealth during COVID-19 outbreak: A systematic review based on current evidence," BMC Public Health, vol. 20, pp. 1–9, 2020, doi: 10.1186/s12889-020-09301-4.

F. Khoshrounejad, M. Hamednia, A. Mehrjerd, S. Pichaghsaz, H. Jamalirad, M. Sargolzaei, et al., "Telehealth-based services during the COVID-19 pandemic: A systematic review of features and challenges," Front. Public Health, vol. 9, p. 711762, 2021, doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2021.711762.

S. De Simone, M. Franco, G. Servillo, and M. Vargas, "Implementations and strategies of telehealth during COVID-19 outbreak: A systematic review," BMC Health Serv. Res., vol. 22, no. 1, p. 833, 2022, doi: 10.1186/s12913-022-08235-4.

W. M. Bramer, G. B. De Jonge, M. L. Rethlefsen, F. Mast, and J. Kleijnen, "A systematic approach to searching: An efficient and complete method to develop literature searches," J. Med. Libr. Assoc., vol. 106, no. 4, p. 531, 2018, doi: 10.5195/jmla.2018.283.

E. Aromataris and D. Riitano, "Constructing a search strategy and searching for evidence," Am. J. Nurs., vol. 114, no. 5, pp. 49–56, 2014, doi: 10.1097/01.NAJ.0000446779.99522.f6.

M. Sampson, J. McGowan, E. Cogo, J. Grimshaw, D. Moher, and C. Lefebvre, "An evidence-based practice guideline for the peer review of electronic search strategies," J. Clin. Epidemiol., vol. 62, no. 9, pp. 944–952, 2009, doi: 10.1016/j.jclinepi.2008.10.012.

A. Goenka, D. Ma, S. Teckie, C. Alfano, B. Bloom, J. Hwang, and L. Potters, "Implementation of telehealth in radiation oncology: Rapid integration during COVID-19 and its future role in our practice," Adv. Radiat. Oncol., vol. 6, no. 1, p. 100575, 2021, doi: 10.1016/j.adro.2020.09.015

G. De Biase, W. D. Freeman, M. Bydon, N. Smith, D. Jerreld, J. Pascual, et al., "Telemedicine utilization in neurosurgery during the COVID-19 pandemic: A glimpse into the future?," Mayo Clin. Proc. Innov. Qual. Outcomes, vol. 4, no. 6, pp. 736–744, 2020, doi: 10.1016/j.mayocpiqo.2020.07.013.

A. W. Gilbert, J. C. Billany, R. Adam, L. Martin, R. Tobin, S. Bagdai, et al., "Rapid implementation of virtual clinics due to COVID-19: Report and early evaluation of a quality improvement initiative," BMJ Open Qual., vol. 9, no. 2, p. e000985, 2020, doi: 10.1136/bmjoq-2020-000985.

D. Jiménez-Rodríguez, A. Santillán García, J. Montoro Robles, M. D. M. Rodríguez Salvador, F. J. Muñoz Ronda, and O. Arrogante, "Increase in video consultations during the COVID-19 pandemic: Healthcare professionals’ perceptions about their implementation and adequate management," Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health, vol. 17, no. 14, p. 5112, 2020, doi: 10.3390/ijerph17145112.

J. Nicholas, I. H. Bell, A. Thompson, L. Valentine, P. Simsir, H. Sheppard, and S. Adams, "Implementation lessons from the transition to telehealth during COVID-19: A survey of clinicians and young people from youth mental health services," Psychiatry Res., vol. 299, p. 113848, 2021, doi: 10.1016/j.psychres.2021.113848.

P. A. Newman-Casey, L. De Lott, J. Cho, D. Ballouz, L. Azzouz, S. Saleh, and M. A. Woodward, "Telehealth-based eye care during the COVID-19 pandemic: Utilization, safety, and the patient experience," Am. J. Ophthalmol., vol. 230, pp. 234–242, 2021, doi: 10.1016/j.ajo.2021.04.014.

K. L. Bennell, B. J. Lawford, B. Metcalf, D. Mackenzie, T. Russell, M. van den Berg, et al., "Physiotherapists and patients report positive experiences overall with telehealth during the COVID-19 pandemic: A mixed-methods study," J. Physiother., vol. 67, no. 3, pp. 201–209, 2021, doi: 10.1016/j.jphys.2021.06.009.

J. D. Hron, C. R. Parsons, L. A. Williams, M. B. Harper, and F. C. Bourgeois, "Rapid implementation of an inpatient telehealth program during the COVID-19 pandemic," Appl. Clin. Inform., vol. 11, no. 3, pp. 452–459, 2020, doi: 10.1055/s-0040-1713635.

T. K. Manyati and M. Mutsau, "Exploring the effectiveness of telehealth interventions for diagnosis, contact tracing and care of Corona Virus Disease of 2019 (COVID-19) patients in sub Saharan Africa: A rapid review," Health Technol., vol. 11, no. 2, pp. 341–348, 2021, doi: 10.1007/s12553-020-00485-8.

K. Shafi, F. Lovecchio, K. Forston, J. Wyss, E. Casey, J. Press, et al., "The efficacy of telehealth for the treatment of spinal disorders: Patient-reported experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic," HSS J., vol. 16, no. 1_suppl, pp. 17–23, 2020, doi: 10.1007/s11420-020-09808-x.

K. Bouabida, B. Lebouché, and M. P. Pomey, "Telehealth and COVID-19 pandemic: An overview of the telehealth use, advantages, challenges, and opportunities during COVID-19 pandemic," in Healthcare, vol. 10, no. 11, p. 2293, Nov. 2022, doi: 10.3390/healthcare10112293.

S. Doraiswamy, A. Abraham, R. Mamtani, and S. Cheema, "Use of telehealth during the COVID-19 pandemic: Scoping review," J. Med. Internet Res., vol. 22, no. 12, p. e24087, 2020, doi: 10.2196/24087.

R. L. Parisien, M. Shin, M. Constant, B. M. Saltzman, X. Li, W. N. Levine, and D. P. Trofa, "Telehealth utilization in response to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic in orthopaedic surgery," JAAOS-J. Am. Acad. Orthop. Surg., vol. 28, no. 11, pp. e487–e492, 2020, doi: 10.5435/JAAOS-D-20-00339.

P. W. Tuerk, S. M. Keller, and R. Acierno, "Treatment for anxiety and depression via clinical videoconferencing: Evidence base and barriers to expanded access in practice," Focus, vol. 16, pp. 363–369, 2019, doi: 10.1176/appi.focus.20180027.

K. Bouabida, K. Malas, A. Talbot, M. È. Desrosiers, F. Lavoie, B. Lebouché, et al., "Healthcare professional perspectives on the use of remote patient-monitoring platforms during the COVID-19 pandemic: A cross-sectional study," J. Pers. Med., vol. 12, no. 4, p. 529, 2022, doi: 10.3390/jpm12040529.

L. Van Dyk, "A review of telehealth service implementation frameworks," Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health, vol. 11, no. 2, pp. 1279–1298, 2014, doi: 10.3390/ijerph110201279.

A. C. Smith, E. Thomas, C. L. Snoswell, H. Haydon, A. Mehrotra, J. Clemensen, and L. J. Caffery, "Telehealth for global emergencies: Implications for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)," J. Telemed. Telecare, vol. 26, no. 5, pp. 309–313, 2020, doi: 10.1177/1357633X20916567.

M. S. Neubauer et al., "Learning from the pandemic: The future of meetings in HEP and beyond," arXiv preprint, arXiv:2106.15783, 2021, doi: 10.48550/arXiv.2106.15783.

D. J. Carlberg et al., "Preliminary assessment of a telehealth approach to evaluating, treating, and discharging low-acuity patients with suspected COVID-19," J. Emerg. Med., vol. 59, no. 6, pp. 957–963, 2020, doi: 10.1016/j.jemermed.2020.08.007.

World Health Organization, "Videoconferencing system, Telemedicine Core medical equipment – Information," WHO Medical Devices, 2017.

Q. Wang, M. Su, M. Zhang, and R. Li, "Integrating digital technologies and public health to fight Covid-19 pandemic: Key technologies, applications, challenges and outlook of digital healthcare," Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health, vol. 18, no. 11, p. 6053, 2021, doi: 10.3390/ijerph18116053.

R. Filip, R. G. Puscaselu, L. Anchidin-Norocel, M. Dimian, and W. K. Savage, "Global challenges to public health care systems during the COVID-19 pandemic: A review of pandemic measures and problems," J. Pers. Med., vol. 12, no. 8, p. 1295, 2022, doi: 10.3390/jpm12081295.

J. A. Bielicki, X. Duval, N. Gobat, H. Goossens, M. Koopmans, E. Tacconelli, and S. van der Werf, "Monitoring approaches for health-care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic," Lancet Infect. Dis., vol. 20, no. 10, pp. e261–e267, 2020, doi: 10.1016/S1473-3099(20)30458-8.

P. Cinar et al., "Safety at the time of the COVID-19 pandemic: How to keep our oncology patients and healthcare workers safe," J. Natl. Compr. Cancer Netw., vol. 18, no. 5, pp. 504–509, 2020, doi: 10.6004/jnccn.2020.7572.

V. Ardhyantama and D. Idayani, "Two-way communication in distance learning," in Proc. Int. Conf. Future Educ. (IConFEd), 2020, pp. 404–410.

M. Y. L. Yeung, H. H. M. Cheng, P. T. W. Chan, and D. W. Y. Kwok, "Communication technology and teacher–student relationship in the tertiary ESL classroom during the pandemic: A case study," SN Comput. Sci., vol. 4, no. 2, p. 202, 2023, doi: 10.1007/s42979-023-01667-7.

M. C. Jaklevic, "Telephone visits surge during the pandemic, but will they last?," JAMA, vol. 324, no. 16, pp. 1593–1595, 2020, doi: 10.1001/jama.2020.17201.

R. Latifi, C. R. Doarn, and R. C. Merrell, Telehealth and Telepresence, 2021.

S. M. Adams, M. J. Rice, S. L. Jones, E. Herzog, L. J. Mackenzie, and L. G. Oleck, "TeleMental Health: Standards, reimbursement, and interstate practice," J. Am. Psychiatr. Nurses Assoc., vol. 24, no. 4, pp. 295–305, 2018, doi: 10.1177/1078390318763963.

D. Efendi and D. Sari, "Aplikasi mobile–health sebagai upaya peningkatan kualitas pelayanan keperawatan anak dengan penyakit kronis pada setting home hospital," J. Keperawatan Indones., vol. 20, no. 1, pp. 1–8, 2017, doi: 10.7454/jki.v20i1.447.

Published
2025-06-22
How to Cite
Khaeratunnafisah, K., & Lizbeth, K. (2025). Utilization of Telehealth in Improving the Quality of Health Services During the Pandemic: Systematic Review. Journal of Health Innovation and Environmental Education, 2(1). https://doi.org/10.37251/jhiee.v2i1.1723
Issue
Vol. 2 No. 1 (2025): June
Section
Articles

Copyright (c) 2025 Khaeratunnafisah Khaeratunnafisah, Karani Lizbeth

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:

  1. Authors retain copyright and acknowledge that the Journal of Health Innovation and Environmental Education is the first publisher licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
  2. Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgment of its initial publication in this journal.
  3. Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges and earlier and greater citation of published work.