ASSESSMENT OF DIGITAL HEALTH TECHNOLOGIES IN IMPROVING PATIENT CARE IN THE NIGERIAN HEALTHCARE SYSTEM
Abstract
Digital Health Technologies (DHTs) including telemedicine, electronic health records (EHRs), mobile health (mHealth) applications, and Artificial Intelligence (AI)-enabled tools have emerged as central instruments for strengthening health systems and improving patient care, particularly in resource-constrained settings such as Nigeria. This paper undertakes a systematic narrative assessment of the extent to which digital health technologies have improved patient care within the Nigerian healthcare system. Adopting a desk-based, qualitative document-analysis design, the paper synthesises conceptual, theoretical, and empirical literature to examine the adoption, application, and outcomes of DHTs in Nigerian healthcare delivery. The review was anchored on Diffusion of Innovation Theory, complemented by the Technology Acceptance Model, the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology, and the World Health Organization's Health System Building Blocks framework. Findings from the reviewed literature indicated that DHTs have improved treatment adherence, expanded access to care in underserved and rural communities, strengthened maternal and child health outcomes, and enhanced clinical decision-making and data quality. However, the pace and depth of adoption remain constrained by infrastructural deficits, epileptic power supply, low broadband penetration, high implementation costs, inadequate digital literacy among healthcare workers and patients, fragmented policy implementation, and weak interoperability among health information systems. The paper concluded that digital health technologies possess considerable potential to improve patient care in Nigeria, but that this potential is only partially realised due to systemic and infrastructural bottlenecks. It recommended coordinated investment in digital infrastructure, harmonisation of a national electronic health record standard, sustained capacity building for healthcare personnel, community-sensitive implementation strategies, and stronger public–private collaboration to accelerate the digital transformation of the Nigerian healthcare system.
