ABSTRACT
Introduction: Telemedicine is an effective means of delivering health care in Southeast Asian (SEA) countries. This systematic review explored the use of telemedicine systems for delivering health care services in SEA countries during the past 10 years. Methods: Literature searches were conducted in PubMed, Embase, Medline, Global Health, and CENTRAL (Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials). The inclusion criteria were as follows: (1) studies published between 2010 and 2021; (2) study settings located in SEA countries; (3) articles published in English; and (4) availability of a full-text version of the article. Information was extracted and evaluated for each study based on quality and risk of bias. Results: Thirty-seven of 6,554 records were eligible for inclusion. Studies included based on percentage were descriptive (29.73%), cost-effective (8.11%), randomized controlled trials (5.41%), and mixed methods (2.7%). Teleophthalmology and teleconsultation were the major reasons for using telemedicine, representing 21.62% of all studies. A hub-and-spoke and store-and-forward models were used. Free messenger applications supported communication modalities in or out of the systems. Discussion: The COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) pandemic increased research studies on telemedicine, with most studies occurring in Singaporean hospitals (49%). Descriptive studies predominated, followed by retrospective and cross-sectional studies. Conclusions: Our findings demonstrated that telemedicine was a powerful tool. It is feasible, safe, effective, and less expensive than traditional methods. However, robust research is needed to fully investigate telemedicine systems in SEA countries.
ABSTRACT
Background:Public Health Informatics (PHI) has taken on new importance in recent years as health and well-being face a number of challenges, including environmental disasters, emerging infectious diseases, such as Zika, Ebola and SARS-CoV-2, the growing impact of the Influenza virus, the opioid epidemic, and social determinants of health. Understanding the relationship between climate change and the health of populations adds further complexity to global health issues. Objectives: To describe four examples of curricula that exist in U.S. based graduate-level public and population health informatics training programs. Methods: Biomedical informatics educators are challenged to provide learners with relevant, interesting, and meaningful educational experiences in working with and learning from the many data sources that comprise the domain of PHI. Programs at four institutions were reviewed to examine common teaching practices that stimulate learners to explore the field of public health informatics. Results: Four case studies represent a range of pedagogical approaches to meeting the requirements of three established accreditation/certification agencies relevant to PHI education. Despite their differences, each program achieved the established learning objectives along with a substantive record of student learning achievements. Conclusion: The overarching goal of empowering learners to serve an active and dynamic role in enhancing preventive measures, informing policy, improving personal health behaviors, and clarifying issues such as quality, cost of care, and the social determinants of health, are essential components of PHI education and training, and must receive additional consideration now and in the future by educators, policy makers, administrators, and government officials.