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Cornerstone Preprints Cornerstone University & Theological Seminary · Cameroon
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Use of Information and Communication Technologies in Enhancing Health Care Delivery for HIV Patients in Bamenda Health District, North-West Region of Cameroon

Wilfred Chick Abanda1, Lucas Bami Agwe2, Abdel Jelil Njouendou3, Dickson Shey Nsagha3, Harry Fon Mbacham4

1 Cornerstone University and Theological Seminary, Limbe, Cameroon

2 Department of Computer Science and Technology, Cornerstone University and Theological Seminary, Limbe, Cameroon

3 University of Buea, Buea, Cameroon

4 Department of Nursing Science, Faculty of Biomedical Science, Cornerstone University and Theological Seminary, Limbe, Cameroon

Published in World Journal of AIDS, 2026, 16(2), 29-45 · doi:10.4236/wja.2026.162003

Reader notice: this is an archived copy of an article that was peer reviewed and published in World Journal of AIDS, 2026, 16(2), 29-45. The journal remains the version of record.

Abstract

Digital tools are meant to make HIV care easier to deliver, so this study asked whether they are actually used in the wards and consulting rooms of the Bamenda Health District, North-West Region of Cameroon, and what stands in the way. Three hundred and eighty-eight people took part: 263 patients living with HIV and the health personnel who care for them, drawn from public and private facilities across the district. Fifty-seven per cent of patients had received a text message reminding them when to take their medication, making the SMS the most useful digital tool in the study, while only 22.8% said a computer was used during their consultation and 45.6% had used at least one digital tool to reach a health worker. Almost every health worker, 97.6%, used some digital tool in caring for HIV clients, yet 41.6% were still writing patient records into paper logbooks. Dama was the tool named most often for keeping records, and staff reached for Excel and DHIS2 to work with the data afterwards. The barriers named were not attitudes: patients cited having no device, poor network coverage and the price of data bundles, and health personnel cited no training on the tools, no electricity and again the price of data. The authors ask the Ministry of Public Health to strengthen implementation of the National Digital Health Strategic Plan, with investment in ICT infrastructure inside health facilities and continuous training on DHIS2, electronic medical records and telemedicine.

Keywords

HIVinformation and communication technologiesdigital healthDHIS2Bamenda Health DistrictCameroon

How to cite

Wilfred Chick Abanda, Lucas Bami Agwe, Abdel Jelil Njouendou, Dickson Shey Nsagha, Harry Fon Mbacham (2026). Use of Information and Communication Technologies in Enhancing Health Care Delivery for HIV Patients in Bamenda Health District, North-West Region of Cameroon. Cornerstone Preprints, xda9vebp. https://doi.org/10.4236/wja.2026.162003

Cite the published version in World Journal of AIDS, 2026, 16(2), 29-45 where you can.

Declarations

Type
Research article
Competing interests
None declared.
Funding
None declared.

These are the authors' own statements. The repository records them and does not verify them.

Version history

Version 1 · Posted 30 April 2026 · Current versionPublished version, archived from the journal.