‘The doctor won't see you now.' Rethinking health care delivery in a crisis.

Digital platforms allow Syrian doctors living abroad to assist over-burdened local doctors deal with the Covid-19 pandemic. Conflict has severely limited Syria's health services, so NGOs use online platforms like Zoom and WhatsApp to allow Syrian doctors abroad to provide consultations, deliver trainings, and share resources - including a daily forum for local doctors to get second opinions on cases. Thousands of volunteers have joined and organizers think this model can work in other conflict areas if local agents are engaged, they have the trust of the population, and there is the technical capacity.

What started as a small group of young adults wanting to help their aging parents navigate telehealth during the coronavirus pandemic, is now a multi-state program that provides devices to seniors and low-income people as a way to close the digital divide. The group has grown to over 300 volunteers and partners with local health care providers, who in turn help their patients set up their new devices provided by the organization.

In Hong Kong, a newly devised e-health system is teaching patients how to test and monitor their own symptoms during the coronavirus pandemic, rather than have a doctor administer in-person care. Using an exhibition center as the treatment facility, patients with mild symptoms are admitted and then taught "how to check their own vital signs and input the data into the system," which helps limit the contact they have with anyone else.

Since 2015, telemedicine has been helping connect doctors with people in rural parts of Kenya, which has proven to be crucial during the coronavirus pandemic. Although not all insurance companies have made the process easy and some residents don't trust the use of technology to keep their data safe, the practice has seen a significant increase in people with chronic diseases utilizing the system as a means of limiting their exposure to situations where they could be exposed to the virus.

Much of prenatal care has moved to online video conferencing and doctor guided at-home self-monitoring during the coronavirus pandemic but some of these solutions may last long after the pandemic passes due to the positive impact they're having. Although these changes do have limitations and cannot replace doctor visits entirely, for some, the addition of telemedicine has acted as both a time saver and eliminated barriers such as lack of transportation.

The coronavirus pandemic has prompted health insurance companies to support coverage of telemedicine across the United States, and in New Hampshire, mental health counselors are seeing many advantages to the practice. Although some aspects of in-person appointments and consultations cannot be replicated virtually, overall, telemedicine has eliminated a number of barriers for many patients.

Santa Ana College offered mental health services online for students dealing with depression, anxiety, and other issues exacerbated by COVID-19. Hundreds of students utilized the services, which include ten counseling sessions students are allotted each year. Sessions are conducted over secure connections using any device that can access Canvas or by phone. The Health and Wellness Center also reaches students with an Instagram account and weekly Zoom workshops. The 23 workshops cover topics like self-care, procrastination, tips to better sleep at night, and coping with rejection and loss.

The coronavirus pandemic has caused many healthcare practice to move to a virtual space, but for Spanish-speaking communities, telehealth wasn't a solution on its own. In New Orleans, interpreters, doctors, and patients are working together to coordinate care at one clinic, while another clinic has used personalized text messages in Spanish to stay in communicaiton with patients.

Although COVID-19 has taken a toll on the healthcare industry, some providers and clinics have figured out a way to eliminate barriers during this time for those seeking treatment. According to the director of the Behavioral Health Institute at Harborview Medical Center in Washington, the healthcare industry has seen "at least five years worth of progress happen in four months" due to the implementation of telemedicine. While this isn't a longterm replacement for in-person visits, many doctors are reporting a rise in patient appointments via this system.

About 3,200 mostly older South Koreans living alone are monitored by voice-enabled smart speakers to check on their welfare during the coronavirus shutdown. Use of web search terms indicating distress, or when the devices aren’t used for more than 24 hours, can trigger a call or visit from social workers in an effort to prevent the elderly from dying alone. The innovation is among the tools South Korean health authorities used, including sophisticated tracking apps for contact tracing, to help the country keep the pandemic in check. But they also have raised a number of privacy concerns.