Barriers and Challenges to the Adoption of E-Health Standards in Africa

Purpose: Although standardization is seen as the key to ensuring interoperability of healthcare information systems, the large numbers of standards available can make the selection decision difficult especially for a developing nation. This paper reports on a study of ehealth standards development and the level of African countries’ participation in the development process. We explored the factors that restrict the adoption of e-health standards by African countries and provide ways of overcoming the barriers. Method: We conducted literature study of e-health standards, their development, and the degree of participation by African countries in the process. Results: The study revealed that African countries’ active participation in e-health standards development is limited to the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), with no evidence of active involvement in other international standards development initiatives. Several factors were found to contribute to limited participation in the development and adoption of e-health standards by African Countries.