Characterization of Clinical Diagnoses at a Community Telehealth Platform in Uganda.

BACKGROUND

Rocket Health Africa (formerly The Medical Concierge Group) pioneered telehealth in Uganda by integrating technology with personalized care, providing consultations, diagnostics, pharmacy services, laboratory services, clinics, and vaccination services on a single platform.

METHODS

This study examined the diagnostic and demographic profiles captured through Rocket Health's digital health platform from 2019 to 2023, across the prepandemic, pandemic, and postpandemic periods, using descriptive statistics.

RESULTS

A total of 2,677 users were recorded on the telehealth platform during the prepandemic period, 47,072 during the pandemic, and 99,904 during the postpandemic period. Male users accounted for the largest proportion of platform users across all three periods. Married individuals constituted the largest proportion by marital status categories, while users aged 25-34 accounted for the highest proportion within the age group distribution. A range of diagnostic categories was documented across the study period. Diseases of the respiratory system, such as acute upper respiratory infection, were the most frequently recorded diagnostic category, followed by symptoms, signs, and abnormal clinical and laboratory findings not elsewhere classified, including fever, headache, and cough. Certain infectious and parasitic diseases, such as coronavirus infection, candidiasis of the vulva and vagina, and Plasmodium falciparum malaria, constituted the third most frequently recorded diagnostic category.

CONCLUSIONS

Telehealth utilization in Uganda was documented across diverse demographic groups and diagnostic categories over three distinct periods. These findings inform future telehealth policy and planning in Uganda and sub-Saharan Africa.