Effects of the Use of Information and Communication Technology on the Quality of Health Services in Public and Private Health Facilities: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Background: Information and Communication Technology is increasingly used in health facilities to support documentation, communication, clinical decision-making, telemedicine, patient engagement, surveillance and health information management. This systematic review examined evidence on its effects on health-service quality in public and private facilities, with attention to Nigerian, wider African, European and global settings. Methods: A PRISMA-informed systematic review was conducted. Searches were undertaken in PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus, Web of Science, ScienceDirect and Google Scholar, with supplementary citation searching and relevant organisational sources. Eligible studies were English-language empirical studies published between January 2015 and May 2026 that examined digital health technologies in health-service settings and reported quality-related outcomes or implementation conditions linked to quality improvement. Because study designs, settings, technologies and outcomes varied, a narrative synthesis was undertaken. Results: Thirty empirical studies were included. Information and Communication Technology was most consistently associated with improvements in documentation, patient satisfaction, provider communication, data quality, timeliness, specialist input, care coordination, protocol adherence, decision-making and selected primary-care quality indicators. Nigerian and wider African studies showed that benefits were influenced by infrastructure, power supply, internet connectivity, funding, training, organisational readiness, usability, technical support, data security and the policy environment. European and global studies provided stronger evidence for telemedicine, electronic health records, mobile health tools and workflow-related data quality, while showing mixed effects on mortality, readmission and complications. Conclusion: Information and Communication Technology can enable better health-service quality, but its benefits depend on implementation quality, governance, interoperability, workforce capacity, infrastructure and continuous monitoring of patient-centred and clinical outcomes.