# Utilisation of the web-based Home Assessment Tool among patients with COVID-19 in Selangor, Malaysia: An observational study

## TL;DR

This study examines how patients in Malaysia used a web-based tool to monitor their COVID-19 symptoms at home.

## Contribution

The study identifies factors linked to low usage of a government-developed web-based health monitoring tool during the pandemic.

## Key findings

- Only 39.4% of patients used the Home Assessment Tool (HAT) for self-monitoring.
- Advanced age, absence of medical conditions, and non-Malaysian citizenship were linked to low HAT usage.
- Improving HAT adoption requires tailored strategies for underrepresented groups.

## Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused many countries to turn to web-based solutions. The Home Assessment Tool (HAT) is a web-based system using the MySejahtera application developed by the government. It serves as a communication platform for patients with COVID-19 to self-monitor their clinical symptoms and enables authorised healthcare personnel to access and manage collected data for clinical monitoring. Our study aimed to examine the utilisation of this internet-based tool among patients with COVID-19 in Selangor.

This observational study analysed secondary data from the self-reported HAT within MySejahtera. It included all patients who were diagnosed with COVID-19 through molecular assays such as RT-PCR or RTK-Ag on 1–21 February 2021, aged >18 years and residing in Selangor. Patients who had documented their symptoms at least once in the HAT during the prescribed 10-day isolation period were classified as HAT users.

A total of 4438 patients were included, of whom 39.4% were HAT users, while 60.6% were non-HAT users. Logistic regression analysis revealed three significant factors associated with low utilisation of the HAT: absence of medical condition (odds ratio [OR]: 9.4; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 7.49–12.01), advanced age (OR: 1.35; 95% CI: 1.20–1.52) and non-Malaysian citizenship (OR: 3.4; 95% CI: 2.50-4.72).

The utilisation of the HAT is low, which is associated with advanced age (>65 years), absence of medical conditions and foreign nationality. It is imperative to develop inventive strategies tailored to address the unique needs of these particular demographics.