Digital health is no longer a futuristic concept; it’s already an integral part of our present-day healthcare systems.

Healthcare professionals in Africa need to be aware of and understand the fundamental concepts of digital health to appreciate its potential and seek ways to leverage it in their daily professional practices and duties.

Digital health constitutes one of the significant innovations of the 21st century.

Although it has been in existence for a considerable time, its widespread adoption among healthcare professionals remains limited.

Digital health technology is as prevalent in Africa as it is in other regions of the world.

Throughout Africa, healthcare professionals are increasingly tasked with achieving more in a timelier and more efficient manner.

In the face of challenges such as inadequate staffing, limited resources, and heightened expectations, digital health offers an opportunity to streamline workloads, enhance the tracking of patient outcomes, accelerate skill acquisition, and maintain relevance in professional roles.

The benefits are actual, and it has considerable potential for advancing healthcare throughout the continent.

This is the promise of digital health. It is readily accessible and poised to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of healthcare practice and delivery.

This article provides a brief introduction to digital health, specifically tailored for healthcare professionals in Africa.

What Exactly Is Digital Health?

A layman’s definition of digital health would mean offering healthcare services over a digital medium.

As the World Health Organisation defines it, health systems can provide high-quality and affordable treatment by becoming more sustainable and efficient with the aid of digital health.

To improve the effectiveness of healthcare delivery and make healthcare more individualised and accurate, the field of digital health integrates digital care programs and technologies with health, healthcare, and society.

In recent years, there has been a growing emphasis and demand on encouraging patients to take an active role in managing their health.

Tools such as self-tracking technologies, mobile health solutions, and wellness apps are just a few examples of digital innovations that help individuals stay informed about and engaged with their healthcare.

Still, relying on digital tools alone may not be enough, especially in developing countries on the African continent.

For African Healthcare professionals to make a meaningful impact, these technologies need to be part of a broader system that supports collaboration, creativity, and sustainability.

Components Of Digital Health  For Healthcare Professionals In Africa

Increasing research in digital health in Africa reveals that the management and provision of healthcare services rely on elements of digital health, innovation, and digital ecosystems.

Digital health encompasses several key components, including telemedicine, mobile health, and health data systems.

Each component includes various tools and applications that help patients and providers interact more effectively.

 These Components Include:

1. Wearable Technology: Devices used to monitor vital signs and track fitness levels.
2. Telemedicine: Platforms that enable remote consultations between patients and healthcare providers.
3. Electronic Health Records (EHRs): Systems for storing and managing patient information digitally.
4. Mobile Health (mHealth) Apps: Applications that allow patients to track symptoms, receive medication reminders, or communicate with clinicians.
5. AI-Powered Diagnostics: Use of artificial intelligence to support clinical decision-making and diagnostics.
6. Virtual Reality (VR) in Therapy: VR tools used in pain management, rehabilitation, and mental health therapy.
7. Remote Patient Monitoring: Technologies that track patients’ health data outside hospital settings.
8. Digital Prescription Management: Electronic systems for generating and tracking prescriptions.
9. Patient Portals: Secure websites or apps through which patients can access health records, lab results, and appointment schedules.
10. Health Data Analytics: The use of data-driven insights to guide care delivery, predict outcomes, and allocate resources more effectively.

You don’t need a fancy setup.

These components are already available in tools used by healthcare professionals, students, and specialists across the African continent.

Some of them are:

1. DHIS2: It is the backbone of national health data systems across 40+ African countries.
2. LEAP by Amref Health Africa: An SMS-based training platform for community health workers in Kenya and beyond.
3. Zipline: Drones that deliver blood, vaccines, and medications to remote areas in Ghana, Rwanda, and Nigeria.
4. mPharma: Streamlines drug inventory and pricing, improving patient access across West Africa.
5. OpenMRS: A free, open-source medical record platform built for low-resource clinics.
6. MomConnect (South Africa): Provides pregnant women with verified health information via SMS, supporting maternal and child healthcare.
7. MyHealthAfrica: Now known as My1Health. Connects patients in Kenya to licensed local and international doctors.
8. Baobab Health (Malawi): Creates touchscreen-based digital records for hospitals.
9. HELINA Network: Supports informatics innovation and capacity-building across African universities.
10. WHO Digital Health Atlas: A global platform, but many African Ministries use it to track national eHealth initiatives.
11. Carecode Digital Health Hub: Capacity-building initiatives designed to equip healthcare professionals in Africa with basic to advanced digital health skills and knowledge.

What Is Already Working For African Healthcare Professionals?

African healthcare professionals are not being left behind. Some powerful initiatives already helping your colleagues include:

1. Africa CDC’s Public Health Informatics Fellowship: A two-year program mixing practical experience with leadership training in digital health systems.
2. Makerere University (Uganda): This institution has trained its lecturers to teach using digital tools within a competency-based health curriculum.
3. Redeemer’s University (Nigeria): Hosts ACEGID (African Centre of Excellence for Genomics of Infectious Diseases), training students in genomics and AI-supported surveillance.
4. Ghana’s eHealth Inter-university Diploma: Supported by the Pierre Fabre Foundation, producing local innovators like the developers of e-Djigui, a GBV response tool.
5. Microsoft Nigeria & Tech4Dev: A $1M project to train 1 million Nigerians in AI and cybersecurity, targeting youth and health sectors.
6. Carecode Digital Health Hub: Capacity-building initiatives designed to equip healthcare professionals in Africa with basic to advanced digital health skills and knowledge.

How You Can Start (And Stay Safe) With Digital Tools?

Here are some simple, actionable tips to guide your digital health journey:

• Be Curious, But Cautious:

Check the source of any app or platform before using it. Look for verified reviews (e.g., ORCHA, MobiHealthNews), and ensure patient data is protected.

• Guide Your Patients:

Instead of dismissing “Dr. Google,” educate patients on how to identify credible online health sources.

• Set Boundaries:

If you offer digital consultations, clearly define your office hours and emergency protocols. Digital tools are meant to support your wellbeing, not compromise it.

• Don’t Chase Trends. Chase What Works Instead:

Not every tool is right for your setting. Start with what solves real problems in your workflow as a healthcare professional.

Conclusion

Our reporting and stories here at Care City Media about digital health in Africa are primarily directed at making healthcare professionals in Africa think beyond and deeper about how they can utilise digital health tools, initiatives, ideas, and systems to transform healthcare in their localities and communities.

The digital health ecosystem in Africa is an open field playground that will support innovations that solve actual problems.

In partnership with other initiatives and professionals dedicated to promoting digital health culture in Africa, we aim to build communities of inspired and empowered healthcare professionals who utilise digital health to address real-life problems in Africa.

One of our primary initiatives and projects is Carecode Digital Health Hub, which is dedicated to building the capacity of healthcare professionals in Africa in digital health skills and knowledge.

So, what do you have at your fingertips? A smartphone? A laptop? An e-learning platform? A dedicated team? That’s more than enough to ignite transformative change in healthcare across Africa, starting from where you are and your community.  

Are you prepared to take the leap?

Our community is here and ever ready to inspire, inform, educate, and mentor you in developing an innovative mindset that leverages the power of digital health technologies to push the boundaries of what’s possible in Africa’s healthcare ecosystem.