Time machine in fast-forward: 2020
The ‘appathon’, which had nothing of the air of a dusty bureaucratic government project, was supposed to result, in a space of less than two weeks, in two apps to help combat the pandemic.269 At the same time, the tech giants made a deal270 to embed Bluetooth-enabled contact tracing capability in the system. In lockdown, with our daily life on ‘mute’, together we were writing history in fast-forward. From the midst of the crisis, we took steps, supported by the technology world that has been ready to deliver for ages, but what about the recipients?
Digitally prepared?
Globally, we saw that the pandemic forced us to act, under significant time pressure, without clear reliable guidelines based on evidence proved in practice. The challenges faced in taking decisions, (271,272) the demand for reliable insights available at short notice, and models have never been so prevalent. Various models appeared; for instance, to help policymakers simulate the potential consequences of various measures, (273) to chart out the contribution of digital tracing, (274) based on epidemiological variables, and even combined with the impact of behaviour in the population. (275) Socio-economic and ethnic differences determine health (SDoH) and therefore infection and mortality rates due to the virus. (276,277) Fine-tuning on the subpopulation level is possible by charting out the heterogeneity of our society, such as a mobility model that provides insight in the short term into the substantial contribution of policy measures. (278) For instance, the tightening of a facemask policy in certain public places, ample availability of (free) testing, and financial support for people who would otherwise be forced to work instead of following quarantine measures can strengthen the lockdown strategy.
The view on a total health situation is missing
From a clinical perspective, the pressure to quickly obtain valuable insights into the COVID-19 virus was at least as great. Symptoms linked to and organs involved in the clinical picture were gradually adjusted, based on new insights from the various disciplines. This exposes how essential insight into the overall health situation is in order to be able to be of added value as a healthcare professional, from every position, in advising, treating and providing guidance. Although technological possibilities are widely available to interpret insights that are continuously digitally connected with each other and collectively contribute to knowledge, it appears that there is still some way to go when it comes to using technology for the benefit of (global) healthcare. (279)