A viral genus called Coronaviridae has been linked to diseases in both humans and animals [1, 2]. Human respiratory illnesses, ranging from the common cold to life-threatening conditions, have been linked to a number of coronaviruses. One source claims that coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) is caused due to the most recent coronavirus. The illness first manifested in Wuhan, China, and has since quickly spread worldwide [3]. Fever, dry cough, breathing problems, and dullness are some of the signs of COVID-19 [4, 5]. The disease's most severe form is more likely to develop in those over 65 and people with underlying medical conditions, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart issues [1]. A genus of diseases called Coronaviridae can infect both humans and animals with disease. This global outbreak has been labelled a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO) [6]. A key element in reducing viral transmission is the “social gap” or social distance that is brought about by decreased personal connection [7, 8]. Most cities have been quarantined, and travel restrictions have been enacted and enforced globally to prevent spread [9]. Conversely, those who do not have COVID-19 infection should receive daily care without the danger of sharing surfaces with hospital patients, especially those who are more likely to contract the illness (such as the elderly and those with underlying conditions) [7].

Furthermore, as part of strict infection control, clinical psychiatrists and other unnecessary staff are severely discouraged from entering the ward of a COVID-19 patient [10, 11]. There are numerous ways in which illnesses and natural catastrophes restrict access to healthcare [12]. In order to address the urgent medical requirements of COVID-19 patients, together with other patients in need of medical care, novel and creative solutions are required. More options are now available because of technological advancements [13]. The overall COVID-19 solution, despite the fact that it will consist of numerous components, is one of the greatest methods to employ modern technology to support the best service delivery while reducing the risk of direct person-to-person exposure [7, 14]. Telemedicine has the potential to enhance patient care, illness prevention, and epidemiological research.

A patient-centered 21^st-century tactic, telehealth technology, safeguards patients, medical professionals, and other parties [15, 16]. Healthcare providers offer telehealth services when distance is a problem by using information and communication technology (ICT) to send credible information [17]. Real-time or store-and-forward distribution systems are used to provide telehealth services [18]. Most homes now have at least one digital device due to the rapid growth and size reduction of portable electronics, including smartphones [19] and webcams that connect patients and healthcare providers [20]. To lessen the risk of exposure to bystanders and personnel, healthcare programs are also provided to patients at high risk or those under quarantine via video conferencing and related technology. These systems allow doctors under quarantine to remotely treat their patients [8, 21]. Moreover, a tele-physician who serves multiple locations can help with various workforce-related issues [8, 22]. Particularly in non-emergency / regular care situations and those when direct patient-provider engagement is not necessary, such as when giving mental counselling, telehealth technology has many benefits [23]. Remote care increases access to care while using fewer resources in medical facilities and reducing the risk of potentially pathogenic transmission from one person to another [24]. Everyone's safety benefits from having widespread access to carers, including healthcare professionals, patients, and the general public [12]. This makes the technology appealing, useful, and affordable [14, 25, 26]. Patients are eager to adopt telemedicine despite the difficulties [27, 28]. The difficulties in putting these techniques into practise are also very dependent on accreditation, payment systems, and insurance (8). Moreover, some physicians worry about accountability, privacy, and security [22, 29].

While people are isolated, telehealth may be required for the general public, medical professionals, and COVID-19 patients. This makes it possible for people to get immediate professional medical advice. Determining and assessing the function of telehealth services in preventive medicine, diagnostics, treatment, and containment during the COVID-19 pandemic are the main objectives of this study. Telemedicine has emerged as a significant contributor to various facets of healthcare, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. Healthcare professionals worldwide have extensively utilized telemedicine to facilitate remote consultations, enabling specialists to diagnose diseases through video conferencing and share knowledge for the treatment of COVID-19 without exposing themselves or others to the risk of infection. The utilization of telemedicine technologies, such as video conferencing, IoT-based remote monitoring, and mobile health apps, has allowed healthcare providers to conduct remote consultations, monitor patients' health, and provide ongoing care for those with chronic conditions. Telemedicine has also played a pivotal role in the swift implementation of COVID-19 screening and testing services, ensuring patients receive timely diagnosis and treatment.

Overall, telemedicine has demonstrated its immense value as a critical diagnostic tool for delivering healthcare services during the pandemic and beyond. Consequently, its importance has increased, drawing significant interest in investment and advancement to further enhance its capabilities. Telemedicine is poised to continue playing a crucial role in the future of healthcare delivery.

This systematic study aimed to assess how telehealth services helped with disease management, diagnosis, and treatment during the COVID-19 pandemic. With the aim of enhancing COVID-19 infection management, we discussed the advantages and implications of several telehealth techniques in this review. Since there is currently no vaccine available anywhere in the globe to defend against COVID-19, the best preventive measure is to limit coronavirus exposure [33]. It is advised to use face masks when in crowded areas, use tissues for coughing and sneezing, regularly wash your hands with soap and water or hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol, maintain a true social distance from other people, avoid close contact, and refrain from touching your eyes, nose, or mouth with contaminated objects. Healthcare practitioners can connect with their patients through ICT tools for triaging, assessing, and caring for all patients, hence lowering the number of persons who need in-person medical services [24]. With the help of live video conferencing or a straightforward smartphone call, medical professionals can ask specific questions, gather relevant data, rank individuals for appointments, and determine whether a patient can continue to self-monitor symptoms at home while healing. It can also be used to measure things like blood pressure, oxygen saturation, and respiration rate on a regular basis at home [34]. Due to online mental health surveys and communication tools like Weibo, WeChat, and TikTok, medical authorities and mental health specialists have been able to provide safe web-based mental health services during the COVID-19 pandemic in China [35]. To assure the ongoing availability of mental health therapies and lower the risk of cross-infections, Chinese government authorities have established a remote consultation network that permits internet or telephone consultations in a secure setting [36]. Many free electronic publications and online suggestions regarding COVID-19 have also been made available by the National Health Commission of China in an effort to promote emergency interventions, increase safety, and raise their calibre and efficacy [10]. By easing the mental health burden of COVID-19 and disseminating knowledge about the signs of burnout, despair, and anxiety, telehealth can also offer mental online health therapies to isolated patients [14].According to Greenhawt et al., telemedicine has a number of advantages for treating allergy and immunology conditions, such as minimising the amount of time that medical staff requires to interact with patients who might be contagious and enabling quick COVID-19 infection testing [37]. The study discovered that during the tragic COVID-19 epidemic in Iran, a novel screening and triage strategy was utilised in addition to the conventional procedures for identifying COVID-19. The Iranian Society of Radiology (ISR) provided teleradiology and teleconsultation services using a social media platform to address the lack of on-site thoracic radiologists during the COVID-19 outbreak [38]. Staff members should use mobile health technology to create staffing plans and handle billing for healthcare services in addition to taking action to guarantee the health and safety of patients [39]. Our results showed a wide range of simple-to-set-up COVID-19 management options that provide live video consultation. Through the use of live video conferencing, individuals can help prevent direct physical contact, which lowers the risk of coming into touch with respiratory secretions and prevents the disease from spreading to medical workers [34]. In addition, live video may be useful for patients needing COVID-19 consultation, for nervous patients, and in place of in-person visits for assessments of chronic illnesses (such as diabetes and cancer), some medication checks, and triage when the telephone is not enough [22]. Video consultations and telephone follow-ups are practical in a variety of cancer situations, including lung, endometrial, colorectal, and prostate cancer [40], to prevent the spread of COVID-19. In ambulatory and urgent care settings, phone calls and electronic health records (EHR) can facilitate decision-making among healthcare team members and facilitate patient screening or treatment without the need for in-person visits, according to a study conducted in the USA [41]. Telemedicine is important during the pandemics, such as COVID-19, in terms of lowering morbidity and keeping the public away from high-risk locations like hospital grounds. Older people can use technology to access healthcare services [42]. Changes in payment and service coordination, along with successful local system adaptation, are now the key obstacles impeding the widespread use of telemedicine to treat COVID-19 infection (8). In our opinion, the COVID-19 pandemic can be averted and controlled by reconsidering traditional notions of clinical practice, utilizing secure online environments, and enhancing telehealth worker and patient education.

Future telehealth usage studies are anticipated to concentrate on figuring out the challenges and facilitators that patients and healthcare professionals encounter. Future research should examine how telemedicine choices affect hospital performance and efficiency measures. Further global study is required to identify how to integrate telehealth into primary care. Researchers can also examine the efficacy of telehealth approaches in different healthcare settings, especially in the area of home nursing for vulnerable elderly community members. The use of this technology in psychiatry is also strongly advised because it lessens the need for in-person sessions. Future studies can examine how satisfied patients and healthcare providers are with telehealth services. The integration of telemedicine with artificial intelligence is an ongoing process that has already been applied in various healthcare sectors. This integration aims to provide healthcare professionals with the means to make rapid and well-informed decisions in areas, such as disease diagnosis, treatment, and the selection of optimal parameters for medicine and surgery. The synergy between telemedicine and artificial intelligence holds great potential in improving quality of life and promoting overall health. It is clear that the future of healthcare lies in the advancement of telemedicine technology in conjunction with the emergence of artificial intelligence (AI).

Our comprehensive review identified three limitations. Firstly, there is a possibility that certain influential studies published in languages other than English, such as Chinese, may have been inadvertently overlooked. Secondly, we did not have access to databases like CINAHL and PsycINFO, which could potentially contain relevant information. Thirdly, despite employing a rigorous search methodology and aiming to encompass a broad range of global evidence, it is conceivable that some additional research pertaining to this subject may have been inadvertently excluded from our analysis. Despite our best efforts, further studies likely exist in the literature that we could not incorporate into our review.

This study exclusively focused on delineating the benefits of telemedicine within the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. It presented a comprehensive and systematic review investigating the efficacy of telehealth interventions during an unprecedented global health crisis. The primary objective of the study was to analyze the role played by telehealth in addressing the urgent research needs outlined by the World Health Organization (WHO) pertaining to infection management and the dissemination of the latest information during the initial stages of the outbreak. The escalating global spread of COVID-19 has underscored the pressing deficiencies within the healthcare system, necessitating prompt action. Telehealth emerges as a potential solution to address several critical challenges encountered in the delivery of healthcare services amidst the pandemic. By leveraging telehealth technologies, the need for direct physical contact can be circumvented, thereby mitigating the risk of COVID-19 transmission while ensuring the uninterrupted provision of care to communities. The empirical findings derived from this comprehensive review strongly advocate for the adoption of telehealth tools by both patients and clinicians as a viable and effective strategy to prevent and contain the spread of COVID-19 infection. Moreover, the integration of telemedicine technology with artificial intelligence (AI) has revolutionized the healthcare sector. It not only facilitates remote access to medical care and assists in pandemic management but also enhances decision-making capabilities, leading to more effective and precise diagnoses, treatments, and patient monitoring. One of the key advantages of telemedicine with AI is its ability to leverage machine learning algorithms to analyze vast amounts of patient data, enabling the identification of patterns that can be utilized to predict health outcomes. This empowers healthcare providers to make well-informed decisions regarding treatment plans and establish correlations between past medical history and diseases, ultimately resulting in enhanced patient care. In summary, telemedicine technology combined with AI has the capacity to reshape the healthcare industry, significantly improving the efficiency and accuracy of disease treatment.