Adoption of Digital Health Technology in Nigeria: A Scoping Review of Current Trends and Future Directions

Abstract

Introduction: In recent years, there has been significant progress in the application of digital technology across various sectors, including health, and research on health technology has become a focal point for many researchers. Nigeria, in particular, has seen a substantial number of studies in this area. This scoping review aims to describe the advancements and current trends in digital health technology (DHT) research in Nigeria. Methodology: The scoping review followed the Arksey and O’Malley methodology and adhered to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta‐Analyses for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA‐ScR) checklist. Using preset key terms related to DHT, literature was identified through searches of PubMed/MEDLINE, Google Scholar, Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ), and African Journals Online (AJOL) databases. The literature was screened based on inclusion and exclusion criteria to select relevant studies. Data from the included literature was extracted into Excel, and descriptive statistics were conducted using IBM SPSS 27.1 and Python 3.12.4. Results: A total of 1840 studies were initially identified through electronic database searches and gray literature. After screening, 230 studies were included in the scoping review. The distribution of publication years increased dramatically from 2010 to 2024, with the lowest in 2012 (0.9%) and the highest in 2022 (15.2%). Most studies were cross‐sectional (36.5%), followed by reviews (27.8%), qualitative studies (13.0%), interventional studies (7.8%), and mixed‐method studies (4.3%). The main categories of health technology discussed included general DHT (25.7%), mobile health (mHealth) (23.9%), eHealth (12.2%), digital devices/tools (10.4%), telemedicine (7.4%), and health information systems (HISs) (6.5%). Conclusion: Since 2010, Nigeria’s health technology research has expanded significantly in different areas. Despite this growth, practical application remains limited. To fully digitize the healthcare system, collaboration among the government, private sector, and stakeholders is essential to fund projects and train leaders for effective integration of health tech solutions in the Nigerian healthcare system.