Prospects and Challenges of Population Health with Online and other Big Data in Africa: Understanding the Link to Improving Healthcare Service Delivery

Abstract

Big data analytics offers promises to many health care service challenges and can provide answers to many population health issues. Big data is having a positive impact in almost every sphere of life in more advanced world while developing countries are striving to meet up. Even though healthcare systems in the developed world are recording some breakthroughs due to the application of big data, it is important to research the impact of big data in developing regions of the world, such as Africa and identify its peculiar needs. The purpose of this review was to summarize the challenges faced by big data analytics and the prospects that big data opens in health care services in Africa. The systematic review examined the key research questions to address whether big data applications can improve healthcare service delivery in Africa especially during epidemics or health crises and through the population health system. The paper examined prospects and challenges that are associated with the use of big data and healthcare service in relation to population health needs through influencing factors. In this study, literatures are reviewed to present cases of big data applications in healthcare in Africa and to understand the prospect and challenges of such applications to population health.