Exploring Digital Health Solutions: Personalised Medicine and N-of-1 Trials in Ghana: A Scoping Review
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Background
Digital health solutions and personalised medicine are rapidly evolving fields that offer significant potential for enhancing healthcare delivery, particularly in low-resource settings. N-of-1 trials, a personalised experimental approach, hold particular promise for individualised patient care and empowerment. This scoping review aims to explore the current landscape of these innovations in the context of Ghana.
Objectives
This review seeks to map existing literature on digital health solutions, personalised medicine, and N-of-1 trials in Ghana. It also aims to identify key themes, trends, and gaps in the literature while discussing the current role and potential of N-of-1 trials in this context as an important knowledge base for future exploration of personalised medicine and digital N-of-1 trials in low resource settings like Ghana.
Methods
A comprehensive literature search was conducted across multiple databases, including PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar; from year 2000 to April 2024, to identify relevant studies. Inclusion criteria were studies focusing on digital health, personalised medicine, and N-of-1 trials within Ghana or similar low-resource settings. Data were extracted and analysed to identify common themes, trends, and gaps in the existing literature.
Results
The scoping review included 40 publications, that is, only very few studies have been published in this field that fit our objectives. The studies revealed a predominant focus on digital health solutions in Ghana, particularly mobile health (mHealth) interventions, which account for 60% of the interventions reviewed. These solutions include mobile applications for clinical decision support, patient monitoring, and health education, and have been effective in enhancing healthcare delivery, especially in remote and underserved areas. Introducing electronic health records (EHRs) represent 24% of the interventions and have shown promise in improving data management and patient care coordination. However, challenges such as poor network infrastructure and resistance to change need to be addressed. Personalised medicine, though less represented in the reviewed literature (7.5%), shows promise in providing tailored treatments based on individual genetic profiles. The review did not identify any studies specifically focused on N-of-1 trials, highlighting the innovative potential for future research in this area.
Conclusion
The findings underscore the need for robust digital infrastructure, training for healthcare providers, and policy frameworks to support the adoption of digital health solutions, personalised medicine, and N-of-1 trials in Ghana. Addressing these gaps requires concerted efforts to enhance digital infrastructure, provider education, and supportive policies. N-of-1 trials offer substantial potential for personalised care but necessitate further exploration and integration into the healthcare system.
