My Quarantine Diary: a tool for self-care and learning about COVID-19

Abstract

Self-care and self-education are essential for maintaining the health of the population, mainly in the pandemic scenario as established by COVID-19, where social distancing and avoiding agglomeration in closed environments is strongly recommended, as well as preventing the spread of fake news. This study aimed to describe the development and implementation of a self-care and learning application related to COVID-19. In 2020, right at the beginning of the pandemic, a multidisciplinary team at the University of São Paulo -Brazil, was formed to develop a technological platform called Meu Diário de Quarentena® (My Quarantine Diary). In this environment, information on self-care, self-monitoring, and health education was made available to people facing the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. The tools, including HTML, CSS, PHP, and MySQL database manager, were used. Meu Diário de Quarentena® (My Quarantine Diary) platform allowed each person to make their own assessment and keep a follow-up of signs and symptoms of COVID-19 through a diary that analyzed the clinical presentation, provided guidance, and suggested an action in real-time to reduce stress and worries. A diagnostic support algorithm was implemented to mitigate false alarms and highlight the importance of caring for family members when an infection was suspected. Furthermore, people were trained with an interactive quiz to promote health education and to offer relevant and updated information related to the pandemic, which contributed to preventing the spread of fake news. A website application (web app) for screening signs and symptoms, self-care, self-monitoring, and promoting health education related to the COVID-19 pandemic was developed and made available on the network. The entire population was given access to Meu Diário de Quarentena® (My Quarantine Diary).