COVID-19 and the role of information systems and technologies at the first level of care

Care centered on the response to COVID-19: Identify, report, contain, manage, and refer. Information systems for health—through timely access to correctly disaggregated data, proper integration of national and local systems, digital health, and the application of widely used information and communication technologies (ICTs)—facilitate the effective identification, reporting, and analysis of cases and contacts; early search for and detection of cases; and identification and monitoring of at-risk populations, cases, and contacts. Containment is strengthened through platforms for follow-up and monitoring of cases, contacts, quarantine, and social isolation. These systems, in turn, enable mass dissemination of information on preventive measures to all of society. Platforms for telemedicine visits, remote monitoring of patients, and remote communication enable health workers at the first level of care to manage medical care and facilitate home monitoring of people with COVID-19. These same mechanisms, together with electronic health records and local and national information systems, facilitate hospital referrals of patients with severe signs and symptoms or risk factors.