Bolin Cao1, Huanyu Bao2,3, Emmanuela Oppong4, Siyang Feng5, Kumi M Smith6, Joseph D Tucker3,7, Weiming Tang2,3. 1. School of Media and Communication, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen. 2. Dermatology Hospital of South Medical University. 3. University of North Carolina Project-China, Guangzhou, China. 4. Union College, Schenectady, New York, USA. 5. Shenzhen Center for Disease Control, Shenzhen, China. 6. Division of Epidemiology and Community Health, University of Minnesota Twin Cities, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA. 7. London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK.
Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The current study aimed to review how digital health has been used for sexually transmitted infection (STI)/HIV prevention, testing, and treatment. RECENT FINDINGS: A scoping review was conducted by searching five databases for peer-reviewed literature published between March 2018 to August 2019. 23 out of 258 studies met the inclusion criteria and were assessed. Six studies used digital platform to enhance STI/HIV prevention messaging; four studies found that digital health can provide vivid promotional information and has been instrumental in increasing the accessibility and acceptability of STI/HIV testing; three studies reported digital health provides a channel to understand and interpret the discourses on preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and increase PrEP uptake; three studies focused on refining big data algorithms for surveillance; four studies reported on how digital interventions could be used to optimize clinical interventions; and four studies found digital interventions can be used to assist mental health services. SUMMARY: Digital health is a powerful and versatile tool that can be utilized in the production of high-quality, innovative strategies on STIs and HIV services. Future studies should consider focusing on strategies and implementations that leverage digital platforms for network-based interventions, in addition to recognizing the norms of individual digital intervention platforms.
PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The current study aimed to review how digital health has been used for sexually transmitted infection (STI)/HIV prevention, testing, and treatment. RECENT FINDINGS: A scoping review was conducted by searching five databases for peer-reviewed literature published between March 2018 to August 2019. 23 out of 258 studies met the inclusion criteria and were assessed. Six studies used digital platform to enhance STI/HIV prevention messaging; four studies found that digital health can provide vivid promotional information and has been instrumental in increasing the accessibility and acceptability of STI/HIV testing; three studies reported digital health provides a channel to understand and interpret the discourses on preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and increase PrEP uptake; three studies focused on refining big data algorithms for surveillance; four studies reported on how digital interventions could be used to optimize clinical interventions; and four studies found digital interventions can be used to assist mental health services. SUMMARY: Digital health is a powerful and versatile tool that can be utilized in the production of high-quality, innovative strategies on STIs and HIV services. Future studies should consider focusing on strategies and implementations that leverage digital platforms for network-based interventions, in addition to recognizing the norms of individual digital intervention platforms.