TABLE 2.
Characteristics of includes studies
| Author name | Title | Country | Study design | Discipline | Mode of delivery | Successes | Challenges and opportunities for improvement |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adepoju (2020) | Africa turns to telemedicine to close the mental health gap | Nigeria | News article | Mental health, delivering information on testing centers | Mobile smartphones, | enabled access to mental healthcare despite lockdowns, clearing the mental health backlog, easier and quicker mental health services, maximizing scant mental health services | Enactment of telemedicine regulations. Accessibility of mobile online platforms |
| Jaguga and Kwobah (2020) | Mental health response to the COVID‐19 pandemic in Kenya: a review | Kenya | Narrative review | Training of Mental health workers on psychological first aid, mental health teleconsultation | Virtual online programs, | Reaching scarce mental health workers remotely for training and mental patients for mental health. | Scarce mental health facilities and mental health workers |
| (P. Adebayo et al., 2020) | COVID‐19: The Changing Trend of Tele‐consultations in a Private Tertiary Level Health Facility in Tanzania | Tanzania | Retrospective Observational Study | Teleconsultation | Telephone, mobile phones | 118 patients were reached and followed up through teleconsultations. Managed to carry out 45 pediatric consultations. Successful 216 inquiries of health matters. |
Lack of insurance coverage for teleconsultation. Low awareness for telemedicine. Unwillingness to explore other modalities of consultations. Opportunities for Improvement include sensitization to improve awareness and willingness. Establishment of frameworks that aid in reimbursement of health providers |
| Owolabi et al. (2020) | Impact of mobile phone text messaging intervention on adherence among patients with diabetes in a rural setting: A randomized controlled trial. | South Africa | Randomized controlled trial | Dietary adherence for diabetic patients | SMS | Moderate level of medication adherence. |
Did not improve dietary adherence. SMSs administered in a short period SMS messaging can increase knowledge if continued for a longer period of time |
| Balme et al. (2020) | The economics of poisoning: The role of telemedicine and toxicovigilance | South Africa | Letter to the editor | Toxicovigilance, weekly clinical meetings, discussion of interesting toxicology cases | Telephone, virtual online platforms | Reduced hospital visits for patients ingesting poison by giving clear management instructions over the telephone, successfully monitored toxicology trends, | Lack of staffing |
| Moolla et al. (2020) | Implementing a video call visit system in a coronavirus disease 2019 unit | South Africa | Used to video call to connect patients with their loved ones | Video call |
Successfully reduced cross‐infection of hospital visitors by patients. Connected patients to their loved ones during quarantine Improved lived experience for patients and families |
Contamination of devices as they are shared. Cross‐infection of the hospital staff Privacy lacks as conversations can be heard by inpatients and messages are stored and to be deleted after use. Needs the training to use |
|
| Feldman et al. (2021) | Community health worker knowledge, attitudes and practices toward COVID‐19: Learnings from an online cross‐sectional survey using a digital health platform, UpSCALE, in Mozambique | Mozambique | Cross‐sectional survey | the training module, information dissemination via SMS, survey response | upSCALE digital health platform, SMS |
Increased COVID‐19 awareness. Ease of access to training materials |
Lack of mobile phones in other community healthcare workers, Some have older phones, non‐functioning phones and limited internet access |
| Kamulegeya et al. (2020) | Continuity of health service delivery during the COVID‐19 pandemic: the role of digital health technologies in Uganda | Uganda | Commentary | Teleconsultation, | Telephone, SMS, | Continuity of health services during COVID‐19 induced lockdown with minimal risk of COVID‐19 transmission. Health information dissemination, triaging and referral, mental health support, medical refills |
Limited geographical access of on‐demand medicines delivery and sample pick up. Lack of electronic medical records system, lack linguistic variation limited referrals and linkages to service uptake Health providers telehealth skills unknown |
| Nlemadim et al. (2021) | Telemedicine for Children with Sickle cell Anemia is a Resource‐Poor Setting during COVID‐19 Pandemic: An Observational Stud | Nigeria | Observational study | Management of children with sickle cell anemia | SMS, mobile phone |
Managed to reach out to 271 children with Sickle cell anemia and got responses from 158 None of the participants' contract COVID‐19 96 respondents agreed to continue with mobile telehealth for future interactions. |
Limited airtime to make phone calls. Some messages were not received |
| Moyo and Madziyire (2020) | Use of telemedicine in obstetrics and gynecology in Zimbabwe during a lockdown period | Zimbabwe | Retrospective and prospective study | Obstetrics and gynecology consultations and elective cases management |
109 women used telemedicine, managed diagnosis during consultations Urgent referral cases for 14 cases. Continuous medical service provision to expecting mothers Access to specialists for rural dwellers who have had no access without telemedicine |
Lack of internet connectivity and data unaffordability by rural dwellers Affected by literacy levels Limited in case a physical examination and tests were needed. |
|
| Armand et al. (2021) | Telemedicine and COVID‐19: Experience of Medical Doctors in Cameroon | Cameroon | Cross‐sectional study | Consultations |
Telephone, WhatsApp, SMS, Skype |
Ability to consult while quarantined |
Poor doctor‐patient relationship. Limited coverage of telemedicine |