Internet Hospitals Help Prevent and Control the Epidemic of COVID-19 in China: Multicenter User Profiling Study

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Epidemiology
• Digital Health

Background:

• Internet hospitals in China actively participated in COVID-19 prevention and control.
• They provided essential online services and medical support to the public during the pandemic.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the role and impact of internet hospitals in China's COVID-19 prevention and control efforts.
• To analyze online consultation data to understand public behavior and medical-seeking patterns.

Main Methods:

• Collected and analyzed online epidemic-related consultations from multiple internet hospitals in China.
• Classified counselees, analyzed symptoms, and assessed hypochondriacal suspicion and offline visit motivations.
• Utilized logistic regression to identify risk factors for suspicion and offline visit tendencies.

Main Results:

• Analyzed 4913 consultations; 94.20% had COVID-19-like symptoms.
• Hypochondriacal suspicion was common (44.11%), with inconsistent patient motivation and doctor recommendations for offline visits.
• Factors like adult age, exposure history, and specific symptoms increased suspicion and offline visit likelihood.

Conclusions:

• Internet hospitals effectively supported the public during COVID-19, reducing panic and promoting social distancing.
• They helped correct improper medical-seeking behaviors and reduced nosocomial infections.
• These platforms are vital for epidemic screening and overall COVID-19 prevention and control.