Technologies Employed Within the Healthcare Setting During the COVID-19 Pandemic For A Continuation of Care: Emerging CoP

Abstract

In early 2020, the coronavirus (COVID-19 ) was declared a pandemic (“WHO Director-General’s opening remarks at the media briefing on COVID-19 – 11 March 2020” 2020), as the respiratory disease spread and productively infected patients generating havoc in the health sector (Chan 2020). As a response, digital services were offered to patients to allow the continuation of care and digital tools were adopted to assist health professionals (HP) in maintaining a social distance and minimising viral transmission (Meinert, Milne-Ives, Surodina and Lam 2020). Although much is discussed of the technologies employed during this period, changes in practices adopted by HP have been largely overlooked. Applying technology to the clinical setting improves the interprofessional community of practice as HP can collaborate on clinical decisions improving clinical outcomes (Waldman, Waldman, Waldman and Abuabara 2020). This literature review takes an exploratory stance into the technologies employed by HP during the first few months of the COVID-19 pandemic to investigate how their professional development has been affected. The study aimed to clarify the role of technologies utilised during the COVID-19 pandemic in the health sector and discuss the extent to which practice differed from the traditional means. Moreover, the study sought to shed a light on how technology assists HP in their role and professional development during the pandemic and possible thereafter. Core literature is discussed to identify whether emerging CoP has evolved within health communities due to the technology revolution in this short period and whether the technology employed shall be considered permanently to ensure best practices. The data provide convincing evidence that technology changed the way health care is delivered. Moreover, the findings show that COVID-19 pandemic has created a CoP between HP to share best practices in this new era that may lead to a shift in their professional development long after the pandemic has ended.