Open AccessUtility of telemedicine in sub‐Saharan Africa during the COVID ‐19 pandemic. A rapid review
Author(s) -
Chitungo Itai,
Mhango Malizgani,
Mbunge Elliot,
Dzobo Mathias,
Musuka Godfrey,
Dzinamarira Tafadzwa
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
human behavior and emerging technologies
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.823
H-Index - 8
ISSN - 2578-1863
DOI - 10.1002/hbe2.297
Subject(s) - telemedicine , pandemic , covid-19 , business , inclusion (mineral) , health care , medical emergency , medicine , nursing , public relations , political science , psychology , social psychology , disease , pathology , infectious disease (medical specialty) , law
Telemedicine is the use of technology to achieve remote care. This review looks at the utility of telemedicine during the pandemic, period March 2020 to February 2021. Eleven articles met inclusion criteria. There was moderate use of telemedicine in sub‐Sahara Africa during the pandemic, however, there were also some limitations. Benefits of telemedicine include continuing medical service provision, connecting relatives with loved ones in quarantine, education, and awareness of mental health issues, and toxicovigilance and infection control. Challenges to the implementation of telemedicine on the continent were lack of supporting telemedicine framework and policies, digital barriers, and patient and healthcare personnel biases. To address these challenges, this article proposes the development of policy frameworks that fosters telemedicine use by all stakeholders, including medical insurance organizations, the introduction of telemedicine training of medical workers, educational awareness programs for the public, and improvement of digital platforms access and affordability.