Are we there yet? Unbundling the potential adoption and integration of telemedicine to improve virtual healthcare services in African health systems

• Published in: Sensors international Vol. 3; p. 100152
• Main Authors: Mbunge, Elliot, Muchemwa, Benhildah, Batani, John
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands Elsevier B.V 01.01.2022; The Authors. Publishing services by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of KeAi Communications Co. Ltd; KeAi Communications Co., Ltd
• Subjects: Africa; COVID-19; Health digital technologies; Telehealth; Telemedicine; COVID-19; Telehealth; Telemedicine; Health digital technologies; Africa
• ISSN: 2666-3511; 2666-3511
• DOI: 10.1016/j.sintl.2021.100152

Since the outbreak of COVID-19, the attention has now shifted towards universal vaccination to gracefully lift strict COVID-19 restrictions previously imposed to contain the spread of the disease. Sub-Saharan Africa is experiencing an exponential increase of infections and deaths coupled with vaccines shortages, personal protective equipment, weak health systems and COVID-19 emerging variants. Some developed countries integrated telemedicine to reduce the impacts of the shortage of healthcare professionals and potentially reduce the risk of exposure, ensuring easy delivery of quality health services while limiting regular physical contact and direct hospitalization. However, the adoption of telemedicine and telehealth is still nascent in many sub-Saharan Africa countries. Therefore, this study reflects on progress made towards the use of telemedicine, virtual health care services, challenges encountered, and proffers ways to address them. We conducted a systematic literature review to synthesise literature on telemedicine in sub-Saharan Africa. The study revealed that telemedicine provides unprecedented benefits such as improving efficiency, effective utilization of healthcare resources, forward triaging, prevention of medical personnel infection, aiding medical students' clinical observation and participation, and assurance of social support for patients. However, the absence of policy on virtual care and political will, cost of sustenance of virtual health care services, inadequate funding, technological and infrastructural barriers, patient and healthcare personnel bias on virtual care and cultural barriers are identified as limiting factors to the adoption of virtual health care in many African health systems. To alleviate some of these barriers, we recommend the development of robust policies and frameworks for virtual health care, the inclusion of virtual care in the medical school curriculum, supporting virtual care research and development, increasing health funding, removing monopolisation of telecommunication services, developing of virtual health solutions that address eccentricities of African health systems. •Telemedicine presents unprecedented opportunities to improve healthcare services and virtual care.•However, the adoption and effective utilization of telemedicine is still nascent in many African health systems.•Lack of telemedicine policy, cost, technological, infrastructural and cultural barriers affect their adoption.•There is a need for developing telemedicine policies, training and demonopolization of telecommunication services.