Teleconsultation Apps in the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Case of Guayaquil City, Ecuador

Abstract

The new coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has affected a large part of the worldwide population, causing more than a million deaths between the end of 2019 until now. Technological development and digital tools arise to carry out activities remotely, either for monitoring or diagnosis. Medical teleconsultation activities are not new, but due to the pandemic situation that the COVID-19 originated, it has become a popular option to avoid going to consultations physically due to the risk of contagion. This article presents an analysis of different teleconsultation services implemented during the spread of the COVID-19 in the city of Guayaquil, Ecuador, as a case study. The methodology includes a performance assessment of the teleconsultation apps used during the critical periods of the pandemic. We detailed the fundamental stages deemed to verify that the fulfillment and knowledge about telemedicine in this city are not extensive enough in terms of remote health benefits. Throughout this article, we evidenced that the population is not prepared to manage remote-care systems due to the low use of technology and the lack of support from public or private agencies for providing technological development for medical services that satisfy the needs of the inhabitants.