Application of Internet hospitals for first-visit patients with COVID-19 during the pandemic in China

There has been controversy over whether to carry out online medical inquiries and electronic prescription for first-visit patients. While Internet hospitals have become crucial to ensure providing online diagnosis and prescription needs for first-visit COVID-positive patients.We describe the results and advantages of online medical treatment during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak and analyse the results and advantages of online medical treatment.Data were collected from the patients who received online medical inquiry services through the COVID-19 Special Section of our Internet hospital. The user demographic characteristics, user behaviour, clinical symptoms and medical records were collected. Baseline data of offline outpatient patients were also collected.A total of 16 173 online medical inquiries were included. The daily online outpatient service volume reached a peak of 2446 person-times. The median age was 29.92 years (SD 15.59), ranging from 20-39 years (n = 8870, 54.84%). A total of 89.20% (n = 14 426/16 173) patients had epidemic-related symptoms. Moreover, 23.35% of the people were diagnosed as COVID-19-positive through antigen or nucleic acid testing. Furthermore, 86.61% (14 008/16 173) of the patients visited our hospital for the first time or had no offline physical outpatient service record within the past 3 months. The demand for medical inquiries was mainly for drug dispensing, followed by medication guidance and disease diagnosis. And 2.07% (334/16 173) of the patients needed to go to the offline hospital for further treatment.The service model of the COVID-19 Special Section based on Internet hospitals provided the public with the necessary medical support during the COVID-19 outbreak. It provides a reference for future pandemics or public health emergencies.