Digital tools to ameliorate psychological symptoms associated with COVID-19 : scoping review

• Main Authors: Zhang, Melvyn, Smith, Helen Elizabeth
• Other Authors: Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine (LKCMedicine)
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: 2021
• Subjects: Science::Medicine; COVID-19; Digital Tool
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/10356/146373
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

In the four months after the discovery of the index case of coronavirus disease (COVID-19), several studies highlighted the psychological impact of COVID-19 on frontline health care workers and on members of the general public. It is evident from these studies that individuals experienced elevated levels of anxiety and depression in the acute phase, when they first became aware of the pandemic, and that the psychological distress persisted into subsequent weeks. It is becoming apparent that technological tools such as SMS text messages, web-based interventions, mobile interventions, and conversational agents can help ameliorate psychological distress in the workplace and in society. To our knowledge, there are few publications describing how digital tools have been used to ameliorate psychological symptoms among individuals.