Healthcare system innovation – the case of adoption of telemedicine in Ghana

Cell phone usage has increased substantially in Ghana. Yet at the same time, the doctor-patient ratio is extremely low and congestion in hospitals is very common. To help solve those and other healthcare challenges, this paper employs a qualitative approach to examine the use of telemedicine in Africa, with Ghana as a case study. The paper uses a hybrid approach that utilises a combination of qualitative methods to analyse data collected from in-depth interviews with medical professionals. Using the deductive thematic analysis approach, the study finds that the five main attributes of Rogers’ adoption of innovation model: relative advantage, compatibility, complexity, trialability, and observability are very crucial in telemedicine adoption in Africa. The study also employs the phenomenological approach to discover new themes, patterns, and categories about telemedicine adoption in Africa. The study found that telemedicine is critical in enhancing peer to peer support and education amongst healthcare professionals, and reducing congestion in hospitals. The study also discusses concerns about the implementation of telemedicine and solutions to those concerns.