Digital care and Covid-19: The scope for scaling up digital care in a time of an infectious pandemic in Sweden (Digital vård och covid-19: Möjligheterna för digital vård i tider av samhällsspridning av infektionssjukdom i Sverige)

The Covid-19 pandemic has shown the need for expanding models of care to ensure patient and provider safety and for reallocating resources while maintaining services to vulnerable patient groups in an effective, efficient, and safe manner. The aims of the research project are to i) evaluate how digital care has contributed to delivering necessary care to vulnerable patient groups; and ii) assess the technical, regulatory, and other aspects for how digital care can be scaled up to respond to sudden increases in demand. Key aspects of the project include the technical, regulatory, and patient safety concerns of digital care to meet the need for care during a sudden surge in demand. The project will be led by a core group of researchers currently conducting studies of digital care. A group of digital providers across several areas of relevance is included as partners. The project will collect two main types of data: aggregate user-data from digital providers and national survey data of digital providers and regional purchasers. The data will be analyzed by means of statistical and qualitative methods. Ethical approval and a DMP will initiate activities in Q3 of 2020. Data collection and analysis are planned for Q4 of 2020 to Q2 of 2021 and the writing-up, reporting, and dissemination of the findings are planned for Q3 and Q4 of 2021. Findings will be shared continuously and published by means of open-access and immediate channels to ensure timely and relevant dissemination. Hälso- och sjukvårdsorganisation, hälsopolitik och hälsoekonomi; Folkhälsovetenskap, global hälsa, socialmedicin och epidemiologi