Digitalising Healthcare in Developing Economies

Abstract

There is an increasing demand for the healthcare industry in developing economies to reform their existing fragmented paper-based systems to take advantage of the several opportunities that digitalisation brings. However, the existence of specific contextual factors constrains the process of digitalisation in most developing economies. Underpinned by the concepts of installed base and cultivation, this chapter adopts a qualitative multiple-case study approach to examine the contextual factors that influence the development, implementation, and adoption of digital health systems in the Ghanaian and Nigerian contexts. Results of this chapter reveal 13 key challenges and their corresponding mitigating strategies that were adopted in specific instances to facilitate digitalisation in both contexts. A comparison of findings for the two contexts is also discussed.