Barrières et facilitateurs de la télémédecine en Afrique : cas de la télé-ophtalmologie

Benjamin Moyenga; Félicité  W. Nana; Eric Somé; Laurent  Ganou; Maxime  K. Drabo

doi:10.4314/rasp.v6i2.4

Authors

Benjamin Moyenga IFRISSE
Félicité W. Nana Direction de la qualité et de la sécurité des soins
Eric Somé Directorate of Quality and Safety of Care
Laurent Ganou
Maxime K. Drabo bmoyenga@yahoo.fr

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.4314/rasp.v6i2.4

Keywords:

Tele-ophthalmology, Telemedecine, Barriers, facilitators, Africa

Abstract

Many studies have proven the effectiveness of tele-ophthalmology in improving the quality of eye care. However, its implementation in Africa faces several difficulties. The objective of this research is to analyze the barriers and facilitators of the implementation of tele-ophthalmology in Africa. We conducted a search in the Medline, CINHAL and Cairn databases to identify relevant articles on tele-ophthalmology in Africa based on predefined inclusion criteria. Data from the included articles were extracted and analyzed narratively. The results show that in Africa tele-ophthalmology is primarily used for teleconsultation 75% and 25% in tele-expertise. The vast majority of tele-ophthalmologies are diachronous 87.5% against 12.5% in synchronous. The eye pathologies concerned are mainly diabetic retinopathy 50%, glaucoma 25% and conjunctivitis 12.5%. The barriers to its implementation are essentially the high costs for the acquisition of equipment, the instability of the internet and the competence of the staff. The facilitators identified are the possibility of using inexpensive equipment such as adapters, smartphones and free software. Organizational and political-legal factors have also been highlighted. Tele-ophthalmology is an alternative to improve eye care quality, especially in pandemics, confinement and quarantine. The success of its implementation in Africa requires the capitalization of facilitators and the mastery of the barriers identified from the experience of predecessor countries.

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