As a result of surges in the daily total of confirmed cases, hospitalizations and deaths from the virus, hospitals and health systems have experienced financial havoc, negatively impacting on operations. Shutting down elective surgeries and non-essential services has led to lasting impacts, trigging a vital need in the United States for federal funding. While the results from clinical trials will demonstrate the safety and efficacy of several vaccines, large-scale manufacturing, distribution, prioritization, and mass vaccination represent global challenges, particularly in view of the need to comply with stipulations from various forms of public health governance in different nations.
The severe cases of COVID-19 have led to critical shortages and an increasing need for intensive care unit (ICU) beds, and invasive and non-invasive ventilator support in ICUs.
Some of the main challenges encountered in digital health are digital literacy, robust software, training, interoperability, inequity in resources, funding and a skilled workforce (Taylor, 2019). The shift to remote, solitary working without social interactions during the pandemic is likely to cause a deterioration in mental health. In addition, the delivery of virtual courses may pose problems with respect to learning and teaching.
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There have been cases of mental health issues as a result of stress triggered by remote learning, and the long-term impact of learning outcomes has yet to be determined.
Some core barriers to compliance with regulatory guidelines are related to practical issues, selfishness and a shift in responsibility. While emerging technologies are adapted to healthcare applications, implementation on a wider scale requires efficient collaboration between engineering and global health coupled with cooperation by the global community with diverse and inequitable resources (Clifford and Zaman, 2016). Timely analysis and the sharing of valuable information, which is collected using smart technologies and software platforms, are essential for leadership to mitigate and control the spread of COVID-19, and to treat patients and plan for the well-being of the public at regional and national levels.
Conclusion
Engineers in multiple disciplines have collaborated with scientists, physicians, healthcare personnel, mathematicians and other experts to design, develop and implement solution strategies and approaches to combat the unprecedented, multidimensional problems associated with COVID-19. There have been some successes, and ongoing and innovative efforts will continue with strong commitments to mitigate the disastrous impacts of the pandemic. Researchers at colleges, universities, industries and government centres continue to collaborate with multi-disciplinary teams forming public-private partnerships to use the emerging technologies to develop intelligent solutions to improve the quality of human life and to achieve good health and wellness for all persons at all ages.
7 International Federation for Medical and Biological Engineering official website: https://ifmbe.org/
Recommendations
Engineering-based recommendations to improve healthcare include the following:
1. Cohesive and concerted efforts undertaken across multiple layers and spheres of the healthcare ecosystem to improve healthcare for all.
2. The adoption and implementation of technological advances to help in the detection, diagnosis, treatment, data analysis and the rehabilitation of patients infected with COVID-19 and persons suffering from other illnesses.
3. Novel techniques for performing numerous processes in healthcare at faster speed, greater accuracy and lower cost will need to be developed and made available for all.
4. Similar to the innovative approaches used to combat the pandemic, superfast processes must be employed in design, development, manufacturing and implementation to prepare for future challenges.
5. Multinational members of the International Federation for Medical and Biological Engineering (IFMBE)7 across academia, biomedical industries and healthcare systems, as well as regulatory, governmental and non-governmental organizations, should continue their contributions to developing effective solutions to combat the complex problems posed by the pandemic, as well as contributing towards sustaining good health and wellness for all.
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