A Narrative Review of Innovative Responses During the COVID-19 Pandemic in 2020

Objectives: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic presented unprecedented challenges to healthcare systems worldwide. While existing studies on innovation have typically focused on technology, health providers still only have a vague understanding of the features of emergency responses during resource exhaustion in the early stage of a pandemic. Thus, a better understanding of innovative responses by healthcare systems during a crisis is urgently needed. Methods: Using content analysis, this narrative review examined articles on innovative responses during the COVID-19 pandemic that were published in 2020. Results: A total of 613 statements about innovative responses were identified from 296 articles and were grouped under the following thematic categories: medical care (n = 273), workforce education (n = 144), COVID-19 surveillance (n = 84), medical equipment (n = 59), prediction and management (n = 34), and governance (n = 19). From the four types of innovative responses extracted, technological innovation was identified as the major type of innovation during the COVID-19 pandemic, followed by process innovations, frugal innovation, and repurposing. Conclusion: Our review provides insights into the features, types, and evolution of innovative responses during the COVID-19 pandemic. This review can help health providers and society show better and quicker responses in resource-constrained conditions in future pandemics.