We are proud to announce that CSM’s former PhD representative Dr Higor Leite, who now works as an Associate Professor in Operations and Supply Chain Management at the Federal University of Technology Paraná in Brazil, Prof Ian R. Hodgkinson, Deputy Director of CSM, and Prof Thorsten Gruber, Director of CSM, recently won an award for Outstanding Paper in the 2021 Emerald Literati Awards. They received the award for their article Flattening the Infection Curve – Understanding the Role of Telehealth in Managing COVID-19, in the journal Leadership in Health Services.

The article discusses the strategic role of telehealth technologies in managing the pandemic. Using a 3 T’s model (Tracking, Testing and Treating), the authors report that using telehealth has proved to be an effective tool to ‘flatten the infection curve’. The authors also advocate that telehealth practices embedded in health-care practices can relieve the pressure that naturally arise during this type of critical event.

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to discuss the strategic role of telehealth technologies in managing the COVID-19 pandemic.

Design/methodology/approach

This is a viewpoint paper, based on opportune information published and discussed by scholars and managers from different sources; the authors gathered this information to discuss the implications of telehealth during the outbreak.

Findings

Based on examples and benchmarking, the authors found that it is possible to lean on telehealth technologies as a frontline ally to avoid the spread of the virus by tracking, testing and treating (3T’s model).

Research limitations/implications

Together with information published on COVID-19, the authors present their critical observations on the use of telehealth. However, the authors acknowledge that there are restrictions on the use of new technologies in health-care practices that were not addressed by this paper, and they suggest further research to address this limitation.

Practical implications

Governments, health-care organizations and managers are encouraged to take advantage of the information published in this paper. One of the benefits of telehealth is the possibility of bringing patients and physicians together virtually, without the need for physical contact. Henceforth, the authors suggest a more comprehensive implementation of best practices from telehealth to relieve congested health-care facilities and to avoid the risk of further infection.

Social implications

The economic and social impacts of the virus are considered unprecedented by governments worldwide. Therefore, the authors advocate that telehealth practices embedded in health-care practices relieve the pressure that naturally arise during this type of critical event.

Originality/value

In this timely paper, the authors provide invaluable information related to the impact of telehealth technologies on flattening the infection curve of COVID-19.

Publication details:

Leite, H., Gruber, T. and Hodgkinson, I.R. (2019), “Flattening the infection curve – understanding the role of telehealth in managing COVID-19”, Leadership in Health Services, Vol. 33 No. 2, pp. 221-226. https://doi.org/10.1108/LHS-05-2020-084

The article can be downloaded here.

An article about the project and an interview with Dr Leite can be read here.