Mapping the Use of Interactive Voice Response (IVR) in Healthcare in Africa: A Scoping Review Protocol

Résumé fourni par la source

This project is a scoping review protocol that aims to map and synthesize existing evidence on the use of Interactive Voice Response (IVR) in healthcare across Africa. IVR is an automated telephone-based technology that delivers prerecorded or synthesized voice messages and allows users to respond via keypad or speech, making it particularly suitable for low-resource settings and populations with limited literacy or smartphone access.The review will systematically identify and analyze peer-reviewed and grey literature published from 2000 to the present that reports on IVR-based health interventions in African healthcare settings. Using established scoping review methodology and PRISMA-ScR reporting guidelines, the project will examine how IVR has been applied across different health domains, populations, and delivery contexts, as well as the outcomes achieved.Key areas of focus include IVR intervention characteristics, implementation strategies, barriers and facilitators, user experiences, and reported clinical, behavioral, and engagement outcomes. An equity-focused analysis guided by the PROGRESS-Plus framework will explore how IVR interventions address or overlook social and structural determinants of health.By consolidating fragmented evidence, this project will provide a comprehensive overview of IVR use in African healthcare, identify knowledge gaps, and generate insights to inform future research, policy development, and implementation of IVR-based digital health interventions.

Ce résumé expose les affirmations des auteurs. BNTIC ne l’interprète pas comme une validation indépendante des résultats.