Telemedicine and the Future of Nigeria’s Healthcare System
Telemedicine is gathering momentum and gradually becoming a more sought after solution for the deficit in healthcare. It can be applied to dermatology, rheumatology, cardiac intensive care and virtually all specialty in the health space. As a result, more patients are gradually adjusting to receiving treatment and recommendations from medical practitioners virtually.
Unfortunately, a larger percentage of Nigeria’s population has little to no idea what telemedicine is about. A very obvious reason for this is the country’s poor internet coverage. Research conducted by the World Health Organization (WHO) shows that less than 47% of Nigeria’s population have access to quality healthcare.
It will only be fair to educate them on this subject as this is a sure way to ease their burdens.
What is Telemedicine?
Telemedicine is simply a tool that gives patients the luxury of accessing quality healthcare from any distance, provided there is internet coverage. The whole concept of this innovation is to increase patient engagement, reduce cost, and generally improve patients’ health. This is a great solution for middle-class and lower-class Nigerians who mostly find it difficult to access a doctor. Sometimes, they may have to travel several miles to reach one.
Using the telemedicine software, they will meet and share information virtually with a physician who then captures their readings, diagnoses them, and ultimately gives them recommendations. With this, no one has to travel miles to book an appointment and get treated.
Although this innovation is taking its time to expand its usability in Nigeria, the tech-savvy population is pushing for its speedy adoption. Now, healthcare providers are encouraged to integrate telemedicine as part of their services.
Benefits of Telemedicine
The benefits of telemedicine are numerous, and both patients and telemedicine providers get to enjoy a slice of the cake.
The benefits the patients enjoy include:
● Improved healthcare outcomes
● Reduced cost
● Better attention from physicians
● Privacy
● No contact with other contagious patients
● Less time away from work
Similarly, telemedicine providers enjoy:
● Better work conditions
● Increased satisfaction
● Increased income
● Fewer canceled and missed appointments
● Better follow-through on patients
● Private payer reimbursement
Which Medical Specialties or Areas Can Telemedicine be Used?
Even though telemedicine is majorly beneficial to the primary healthcare system, other medical specialties can benefit immensely. Here are some of the areas telemedicine can be employed:
- Primary Health Care
2. Radiology
The job of a radiologist is to diagnose and treat diseases using medical imaging techniques. A radiologist also works with other medical professionals, moving from one laboratory to another, which can be tiring. With telemedicine, a radiologist can get all the high-quality images needed to perform a procedure without moving an inch. This will help to save time, energy and resources.
3. Mental Health
Another crucial area telemedicine can be used is in mental health. This branch of telemedicine is called telepsychiatry and it allows patients to get access to a mental health specialist no matter the location they are in at the moment. For medical service providers, telepsychiatry makes their work easier and more efficient.
As a mental health patient, you can book an appointment with a specialist, who then attends to your medical needs in the most convenient and discreet location for both of you. If you are scared of the stigmatization that comes with mental health issues, telepsychiatry is the best way to go because it comes with a degree of confidentiality
Applications of Telemedicine in Nigeria
Thanks to telemedicine, Nigerians will have the opportunity to connect with medical practitioners without any hassle. Here are some areas telemedicine can be applied:
- Second opinion
In Nigeria, many patients have been misled and given wrong recommendations on supposed diagnosed illnesses. This has led to discomfort, protracted illnesses and death. While seeking a second opinion should be a priority, having to spend extra and booking an appointment with another physician is discouraging.
With telemedicine solutions, Nigerians will be able to seek a second opinion from the comfort of their homes. They can send copies of their medical reports to another physician, and those who need a specialist can easily send in copies of medical images for the doctor to analyze. The physician will also carry out tests and diagnose them. This will make them more confident that they are treating the right illness.
2. Medication Management
Medical practitioners in Nigeria understand that medication management is a big issue, especially among the elderly. Senior adults are more likely to forget their medication recommendations and even forget to take them entirely. This is where telemedicine solutions come in handy. With Telemedicine technology, physicians can follow through on patients’ medication and this will drastically reduce hospital readmissions and lead to better medication compliance.
3. Chronic Disease Management
Going by the World Health Organization (WHO) figures, Nigeria experiences 38,800 cancer-related deaths annually for females and 30,400 deaths for males. Treating cancer has always been a big deal in Nigeria, considering how much the few specialist hospitals can take. Hundreds of cancer patients in Nigeria travel daily trying to meet up with appointments that may eventually get canceled.
With the telemedicine devices that will be made available, cancer patients will have access to physicians that can monitor their health by accessing their heart rate, blood pressure and so much more. Overall, other patients with chronic and life-threatening illnesses will get access to these services from the comfort of their homes.
4. Sharing Medical Information
Telemedicine is a fast-track solution for misdiagnosis in primary healthcare. Since this innovation encourages fast store-and-forward information, primary care providers can connect with specialists virtually and forward information like blood analysis, diagnostic images and more to ensure proper patient assessment in no time.
Factors Affecting the Full-scale Adoption of Telemedicine in Nigeria
There is an exhaustive list of factors that slow down the full-scale adoption of telemedicine in Nigeria; however, some issues are more pressing than some. Below are a few of the biggest factors affecting telemedicine in Nigeria:
- Inadequate ICT Infrastructure
As a developing country, Nigeria has little access to Information and Communication Technology. The inadequacies in the supply of electricity, internet coverage, and proximity to computers make it difficult to run telemedicine programs. This is one of the most important issues that need to be solved before the effective delivery of telemedicine can be managed.
2. Huge Start-up Cost
Knowing how the telemedicine setup utilizes several information and communication technologies, it is safe to conclude that cost is on the high side. Although the setup cost will depend on the kind of technology used, Audio Visual Technology for teleconsultation requires huge investment.
Financial constraint is a major drawback to many start-ups in Nigeria and telemedicine is not excluded. To develop sustainable telemedicine facilities in Nigeria, a reasonable inflow of financial support is needed. This support will be deployed to purchase, operate and maintain these high-tech devices. This support will also go for service providers’ training, newer ICT platforms and other expenditure.
3. Low Internet connectivity
Most telemedicine applications and technologies require a fast and reliable internet bandwidth to function properly. These applications include areas like telesurgery, teleradiology, teleophthalmology and consultation for emergency cases. Slow internet connectivity can alter the delivery of these services and increase a patient’s mortality risk.
In Nigeria, internet users are often frustrated with low and unreliable internet bandwidth. The fluctuations in internet connectivity pose themselves as a barrier to the smooth delivery of telemedicine services. Not to mention rural areas with minimal capacity to invest in a network service that would provide high-speed internet for them. On the flip side, network providers are reluctant to invest in rural and remote areas because they are hardly profitable.
However, it has been brought to notice that the cost of using the internet is gradually decreasing. It is quite exciting to point out that it is a good sign for telemedicine adoption and development.
4. Rapid Upgradation of ICT
Telemedicine technology is fast advancing and this has pushed many state-of-the-art facilities and equipment to the back seat. These technologies may have proven really complex to use at one point, but eventually, they become more user-friendly. For a fast advancing technology, Nigeria has minimal capacity to adopt these new technologies within no time. While other nations are constantly updating outdated structures, physicians in Nigeria are still getting used to them.
For systems that need repair and replacement, it is very daunting for the government to make an additional investment, leading to an overall collapse of the telemedicine system. The time gap between acquiring hardware and newly-developed software is so much that the software is ready for use by the time the hardware has long become obsolete. This is another stiff-necked problem that hinders the development of telemedicine solutions in Nigeria.
5. Legal Barriers
To achieve a telemedicine network that meets conventional medicine standards, proper legal guidelines have to be laid down. Legal and ethical issues that arise in telemedicine are majorly concerned with medical negligence, privacy, data protection, informed consent, e-consultation, e-advising, amongst others. These issues have forced patients to take legal actions to the medical practitioners’ detriment, but little to nothing is done to bring offenders to book.
Notwithstanding, the regulatory bodies responsible for regulating some of the issues that arise in Nigeria’s telemedicine practice cannot do too much as there are no specific laws regulating telemedicine activities in Nigeria.
6. Lack of accreditation or regulatory bodies
A complex and sensitive system like telemedicine facilities requires the accreditation of some regulatory bodies. A facility or structure that is not accredited creates fear in the users as well as the providers. The fear that this branch of medicine is new and perhaps unproven adds to these regulatory bodies’ reluctance.
These bodies have very little clarity on the subject and are consequently at a loss on what is to be explicitly regulated. A bigger problem is the lack of uniformity in telemedicine regulations across the globe. Since most countries still find some deficiencies in this new branch of medicine, the accreditation process is much slower.
Conclusion
Telemedicine is no doubt the future of Medicine in Nigeria. The importance of this innovation cannot be overstretched, and a proper framework that solves most, if not all, the challenges surrounding telemedicine in Nigeria can be built. The future is going beyond a touching distance, and even “a click” can join two worlds together. This is the future, and no one should be left behind.
Jephtah Paul, is a Product Designer, Environmental Scientist passionate about building and creating sustainable and aesthetically pleasing products.
With over 3 years of experience, designing products in Telemedicine, Fintech, Education and E-commerce, currently the lead User Experience designer at Sevenz Healthcare and Part time Environmental Researcher at Federal University of Petroleum Resources.
● Fewer canceled and missed appointments
● Better follow-through on patients
● Private payer reimbursement
