A framework for information technology-based management against COVID-19 in Iran

Recently, coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) emerged as a global infection disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in Wuhan, China, on December 31, 2019, has since spread worldwide [1]. The primary concern in the COVID-19 outbreak is the pathogen’s ability to infect humans and cause a variety of clinical symptoms and severity [2]. Patients with COVID-19 frequently experience fever, dry cough, muscle ache, fatigue, shortness of breath, weakness, chest tightness, nasal congestion, and sore throat [3]. This pandemic has significantly impacted numerous facets of human life, including public health, well-being, businesses, education, and entertainment [1, 4].

Presently, SARS-CoV-2 has been detected in 222 countries [5], with Iran being one of the countries most affected by the virus [6]. The first COVID-19 cases in Iran were reported on February 19, 2020, and by March 5, 2020, all 31 provinces of Iran had been infected [7]. By July 5, 2021, the number of confirmed patients in this country was 3,270,843, with 84,949 deaths and 2,940,874 recoveries reported [5]. Following a sharp increase in COVID-19 cases, governments worldwide are implementing plans, including restriction and management strategies, to contain and prevent the current pandemic’s spread [8]. IT is viewed as a critical component of emergency management for the COVID-19 pandemic in various dimensions, including mitigation, preparedness, prevention, diagnosis, screening, treatment, and recovery [9, 10] IT is defined as the use of computers and other information technology to acquire, organize, store, retrieve, and disseminate information [11]. IT can significantly reduce the costs associated with coordination, communication, and information processing [12].

During this pandemic, several studies have been conducted to demonstrate IT applications’ effectiveness against COVID-19 [9, 13‐15]. There is a need to conduct studies to illustrate each country’s practical experience with IT-based COVID-19 management to determine which digital solutions should be emphasized or ignored [9]. It should be noted that presenting the conceptual framework for managing current pandemics based on IT potentials will help inform government, policymakers, software designers, informatics, and health information technology experts on how to use and plan IT-based solutions for the COVID-19 epidemic’s emergency management. As a result, the primary goal of the current study was to develop a framework for managing pandemics based on IT’s practical experience in Iran. Then, based on extensive literature and expert knowledge, a comprehensive framework for managing the COVID-19 pandemic is proposed.

There are three phases to the current study’s methodology (Fig. 1). The papers identified from the information sources (see Section Databases and search strategy) were screened according to inclusion and exclusion criteria (see Section Inclusion and Exclusion criteria) by three authors (AA, PRH, and ZM). They reviewed the full text of included papers demonstrating various IT solutions used during the COVID-19 pandemic. The information of forty articles were extracted and shown in Table 2. Each gathered IT solution was searched through Iranian databases and official websites during the second phase to determine which technologies were used. The third phase proposed an initial framework based on the findings of the first and second phases, which were then sent to experts for validation and completion. The following figure depicts an overview of the three phases.

This study conducts a comprehensive literature review to demonstrate the capabilities of IT in managing the COVID-19 pandemic. A conceptual framework for an IT-based pandemic response is proposed based on a literature review and expert knowledge (see Figs. 2 and 3). Iran’s practical experience shows that various types and capabilities of IT were not used to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. IT applications used against the COVID-19 outbreak are classified into six core topics in our proposed framework, namely: (1) Prevention, (2) Diagnosis, (3) Treatment, (4) Follow-up, (5) Management, and (6) Protection.

Technologies highlighted for prevention purposes include M-health [4, 9, 16‐28], Internet search query, Telehealth [9, 13, 17, 20, 22, 29‐33], robots [9, 13, 16, 23, 29, 30], IoT [9, 23, 29, 30, 34‐36], AI [16, 23, 29, 30, 35, 37‐43], big data analytics [4, 29, 30, 35, 42, 44], and social media [13, 17, 21, 29]. M-health, internet search queries, and social media have all been used in Iran during the current pandemic. According to a study, VR, robotics, infection control systems, and AI methods should be considered more heavily during prevention [9]. Additionally, their findings indicated that prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, there were no pre-crisis efforts directed at COVID-19 prevention. Strategic planning is required to maximize the capabilities of Iran’s IT n order to contain the outbreak’s spread.

Various technologies have been considered to aid in the diagnosis of COVID-19, the most prominent of which are M-health [9, 16‐22, 24, 27, 28, 31, 47], Telehealth [9, 17, 20, 22, 30, 31, 33], AI [23, 29, 30, 37‐40, 42, 43, 48‐50], drones [29], IoT [4, 9, 23, 30, 34, 36], and robots [9, 16, 29]. According to a study, AI, web-based genome detectives, Telehealth, M-health, IoT, surveillance systems, robotics, and DSS were all used to diagnose and detect COVID-19 patients until July 2020 [9]. Ye et al. (2020) reported that AI-based scenarios, such as drones, intelligent diagnosis (e.g., deep learning-based computer-aided diagnostic system), temperature detection (e.g., airport infrared thermal cameras), and robots (e.g., decontamination, medication delivery, and vital sign assessment), were critical in the detection and diagnosis of COVID-19 in China [14]. In Iran, E-Health is used to diagnose infected individuals or those suspected of being infected, while a chest CT scan is used to diagnose COVID-9. However, many potentials of IT have not been utilized for diagnostic purposes in this country; consequently, additional opportunities for using IT for diagnostic purposes are required in this country. For instance, AI should be used to determine the severity of COVID-19 (see Fig. 3).

By providing various services, IT has aided in treating COVID-19 disease. We understand that effective treatment is contingent upon the discovery of COVID inhibitors. As a result, the use of information technologies such as AI [29, 37, 40], and VR [45] have a facilitating role in vaccine discovery. Other technologies, including M-health [9, 16‐24, 27, 31], and telemedicine [9, 13, 20, 22, 30‐33], are also effective approaches in treating patients at home. Additionally, big data analytics [44], 5G networks [23], and video games [13] can be used to advance treatment goals by facilitating healthcare decision-making, teleconsultation, and drug discovery. In Iran, only a few E-health capabilities (e.g., electronic care for people in quarantine, performing health inquiry services, responding to patients via online and off-line consultation systems, and Telemental) have been used to accomplish treatment objectives during this period. Other technologies should be used to treat and monitor patients in this country (see Fig. 3).

During the COVID-19 pandemic, IT applications for management and planning were highlighted. Various technologies, such as GIS [4, 9, 17, 51, 52], M-health [9, 17‐20, 23, 24, 27, 28], blockchain [4, 23, 30, 35, 46], and IoT [4, 9, 29, 30, 34‐36] have been used for a variety of purposes, including control, monitoring, and tracking, information sharing, data visualization, and enabling a secure donation platform. Moreover, the use of DSS [9, 35], big data analytics [4, 29, 30, 35, 44], surveillance system [9], 5G network [23], Internet search query [9], video games [13], and EHR [53] are examples of additional digital solutions that can aid in decision making, data analysis, prediction, and resource allocation. Management and control of pandemic status are impossible without using IT capabilities. In other words, information technology can aid governments and decision-makers in decision-making and pandemic management by providing real-time data, facilitating information sharing, data analysis, and knowledge about valuable tools for pandemic control.

In Iran, the benefits of IT for managing and controlling the COVID-19 outbreak have been prioritized over other objectives. Consequently, decision-makers may benefit from using databases, dashboards, surveillance systems, E-health, and HIS to manage the COVID-19 disease. It is worth noting that one of Iran’s primary challenges is the proliferation of databases and information resources, which has resulted in a dearth of accurate information. As a result, it is necessary to integrate this data using data mining techniques and AI to create valid databases. Furthermore, the use of IT to control the costs of consumables and medications should be considered. Moreover, centralized and online control of hospital beds is required to increase hospital productivity. Subsequently, our proposed framework calls for the adoption of additional digital solutions in this country.

IT has also aided in the achievement of protection goals; for example, the use of drones [23] and robots [9, 16, 23, 29] reduced the workload of healthcare workers and minimized human interaction; similarly, other technologies such as AI [23, 29, 35, 37‐40, 42], and IoT [4, 9, 23, 34‐36] has the potential to significantly reduce healthcare workers’ workloads and facilitate the implementation of public health interventions. Additionally, by utilizing AR, patients’ data can be sent directly to the healthcare system without any contact or paperwork in triage. Moreover, E-health [9, 20, 22, 31, 33] [17, 18, 24, 25, 27, 28] is another digital solution that can help minimize human interaction, particularly during the quarantine period. In Iran, the absence of protective measures is more pronounced. As a result, more attention should be paid to the use of assistive technologies to protect individuals against COVID-19 disease.

IT has a critical role to play in the COVID-19 outbreak. In Iran, information technology has focused on four primary categories: (1) prevention through the use of some M-health capabilities, internet search queries, and social media; (2) initial diagnosis through the use of E-health capabilities and diagnostic medical imaging equipment; (3) treatment through the use of E-health capabilities; and (4) management objectives through the use of databases, E-health, dashboards, surveillance systems, and HIS use cases. According to our proposed framework, multiple digital solutions (i.e., AI and its subdomains, M-health, Tele-health, VR, AR, IoT, EHR, Robots, drones, Blockchains, and video games, among others) should be used in a variety of fields, including prevention and detection, diagnosis, treatment, follow-up, and management, as well as the protection objectives during the COVID-19 outbreak. It should be noted that IT applications are an unavoidable component of COVID-19 management.

To summarize, various IT applications such as AI, IoT, VR, AR, DSS, blockchain, robots, drones, and video games have been ignored in Iran, as has the full potential of utilized technologies, including E-health and surveillance systems. As a result, to respond to this pandemic, Iran’s government and decision-makers should consider strategic planning that incorporates successful experiences against COVID-19 and the most advanced IT capabilities.