Technology Integration in Nigeria's Healthcare Practice: A Review of Healthcare Workers’ Perspectives

Healthcare services vary in availability, quality, and access across regions, while healthcare workers are overburdened. Healthcare technology integration improves service and outcomes. This article analyzed Nigeria's healthcare technology integration, including technology kinds, acceptance rates, hurdles to implementation, and policy implications for healthcare delivery. A systematic Google Scholar, PubMed/MEDLINE, BASE, and AJOL search yielded 12 relevant studies for an integrative literature review, which were analyzed and narratively discussed. The technologies used include Telemedicine for remote clinical diagnosis, management, and administration; Electronic Health Records; Mobile Health for patient monitoring and management; Cloud-Based Healthcare Platforms for improved healthcare delivery and data sharing; Patient Remote Monitoring Devices for facilitating healthcare services; and Artificial Intelligence in various applications. Wearable monitoring devices and telemedicine had the highest usage compared to lower e-health technology system uptake. Infrastructural issues like poor connectivity, unstable power supply, and inadequate ICT facilities; costs and lack of government funding; regulatory issues like lack of national policies and unclear guidelines; cultural and social issues like older generations' resistance and privacy concerns; and training and skill gaps slowed technology adoption. Finally, providers liked innovations but worried about the healthcare system's broad acceptance and tele-rehabilitation's efficacy compared to traditional methods. Enhancing the adoption of healthcare technologies in Nigeria requires infrastructure, financial, regulatory, and staff development. This study recommends swiftly investing in ICT infrastructure, training, education, rigorous national guidelines through government funding and public-private cooperation, and strategic implementation using adapted applications such as 'lite' telemedicine systems that use lesser internet bandwidth.