Mediating Healthcare Communication in Nigeria: Chatbot Technologies and Doctor–Patient Engagement
Main Article Content
Abstract
The Nigerian healthcare system continues to face persistent communication challenges arising from high patient-doctor ratios, time constraints, infrastructural deficits, and uneven access to medical information, particularly in underserved and rural communities. Within this context, digital health innovations, especially chatbot technologies are increasingly positioned as mediating tools capable of enhancing healthcare communication and supporting doctor-patient engagement. This study examines how chatbot-powered applications function as intermediaries in healthcare communication in Nigeria, focusing on their roles in information dissemination, patient education, preliminary consultation, and follow-up interaction. Based on the existing studies, Internet materials and journal publications, the paper explores the extent to which chatbots influence accessibility, clarity, responsiveness, and trust in doctor-patient interactions. The paper argues that chatbots significantly improve access to basic health information, reduce communication bottlenecks, and empower patients to engage more actively in their healthcare decisions. However, challenges related to language diversity, digital literacy, cultural sensitivity, data privacy, and the perceived absence of human empathy limit their full communicative potential. The paper concludes that while chatbot technologies cannot replace face-to-face medical consultations, they serve as critical complementary tools for mediating healthcare communication in Nigeria. It recommends context-sensitive design, regulatory oversight, and integration into broader health communication strategies to maximize their developmental and public health impact.
Article Details
How to Cite
Uchendu, C. E., Timothy Ekeledirichukwu Onyejelem, & Omolara Oluwabusayo Akin-Odukoya. (2026). Mediating Healthcare Communication in Nigeria: Chatbot Technologies and Doctor–Patient Engagement. Matondang Journal, 5(1), 62-70. https://doi.org/10.33258/matondang.v5i1.1433
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References
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Schiavo, R. (2014). Health communication: From theory to practice (2nd ed.). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
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Tsvetkov, D., Tsvetkova, S., Petrov, M., & Kostadinova, G. (2021). Chatbot applications in healthcare: A systematic review. International Journal of Advanced Computer Science and Applications, 12(3), 520–527.
Usman, B., Eric Msughter, A., & Olaitan Ridwanullah, A. (2022). Social media literacy: fake news consumption and perception of COVID-19 in Nigeria. Cogent Arts & Humanities, 9(1), 2138011.
Vaidyam, A. N., Wisniewski, H., Halamka, J. D., Kashavan, M. S., & Torous, J. B. (2019). Chatbots and conversational agents in mental health: A review of the psychiatric landscape. Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, 64(7), 456–464. https://doi.org/10.1177/0706743719828977
Ventola, C. L. (2014). Mobile devices and apps for health care professionals: Uses and benefits. Pharmacy and Therapeutics, 39(5), 356–364.
Whiting, A., & Williams, D. (2013). Why people use social media: A uses and gratifications approach. Qualitative Market Research: An International Journal, 16(4), 362–369. https://doi.org/10.1108/QMR-06-2013-0041
Zhou, X., Snoswell, C. L., Harding, L. E., Bambling, M., Edirippulige, S., Bai, X., & Smith, A. C. (2019). The role of telehealth in reducing the mental health burden from COVID-19. Telemedicine and e-Health, 26(4), 377–379.
Airaoje, O. K., Aondover, E. M., Obada, A. A., Akin-Odukoya, O. O., & Ridwan, M. (2024a). High Incidence of Different Drug Uses and Media Campaign on the Injection Method in Borno State, Nigeria. Konfrontasi: Jurnal Kultural, Ekonomi dan Perubahan Sosial, 11(4), 242-258.
Airaoje, O. K., Obada, A. A., & Msughter, A. E. (2023). A Critical Review on Gender Based Violence in Nigeria: Media Dimension. Humanities, 3(2), 9-16.
Airaoje, O. K., Ogunbola, O., Falobi, F., Obada, A., & Eric, M. (2024b). Scoping Review on Factors Associated with Continuity of Treatment among People Living with HIV in Nigeria. Biomedical Journal of Scientific & Technical Research, 57(3), 49283-49292.
Alami, H., Gagnon, M. P., Wootton, R., Fortin, J. P., Zanaboni, P., & Lévesque, J. (2020). Exploring the measurement of value in telehealth: A scoping review. International Journal of Medical Informatics, 142, 104258. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijmedinf.2020.104258
Aliough, T. D., Ovey, I. J., & Aondover, E. M. (2023). Examining perceptions of Kwande residents on traditional songs aired on Ashiwaves radio station for curbing the COVID-19 pandemic in Benue State. Environment and Public Health Research, 1(1), 1448-1448.
Esteva, A., Robicquet, A., Ramsundar, B., Kuleshov, V., DePristo, M., Chou, K., ... & Dean, J. (2019). A guide to deep learning in healthcare. Nature Medicine, 25(1), 24–29.
Hile, M. M., Msughter, A. E., & Babale, A. M. (2022). A Public Health Communication: Towards Effective Use of Social Marketing for Public Health Campaigns in Nigeria. Ann Community Med Prim Health Care, 5(1), 1002.
Jobin, A., Ienca, M., & Vayena, E. (2019). The global landscape of AI ethics guidelines. Nature Machine Intelligence, 1(9), 389–399.
Katz, E., Blumler, J. G., & Gurevitch, M. (1974). Utilization of mass communication by the individual. In J. G. Blumler & E. Katz (Eds.), The uses of mass communications: Current perspectives on gratifications research (pp. 19–32). Beverly Hills, CA: Sage.
Kocaballi, A. B., Laranjo, L., & Coiera, E. (2020). The future of artificial intelligence in health communication: How AI-powered chatbots may impact doctor–patient interactions. Patient Education and Counseling, 103(5), 1006–1011. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pec.2019.10.024
Kreps, G. L. (2014). Evaluating health communication programs to enhance health care and health promotion. Journal of Health Communication, 19(12), 1449–1459.
Laranjo, L., Dunn, A. G., Tong, H. L., Kocaballi, A. B., Chen, J., Bashir, R., ... & Coiera, E. (2018). Conversational agents in healthcare: A systematic review. Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association, 25(9), 1248–1258. https://doi.org/10.1093/jamia/ocy072
Laranjo, L., Dunn, A. G., Tong, H. L., Kocaballi, A. B., Chen, J., Bashir, R., ... & Coiera, E. (2018). Conversational agents in healthcare: A systematic review. Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association, 25(9), 1248–1258. https://doi.org/10.1093/jamia/ocy072
McQuail, D. (2010). McQuail’s mass communication theory (6th ed.). London: Sage Publications.
Miner, A. S., Milstein, A., Schueller, S., Hegde, R., Mangurian, C., & Linos, E. (2016). Smartphone-based conversational agents and responses to questions about mental health, interpersonal violence, and physical health. JAMA Internal Medicine, 176(5), 619–625. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamainternmed.2016.0400Rao et al., 2007).
Msughter, A. E., Kuchi, M. G., & Abba, A. A. (2023). Critical Discourse Analysis of Traditional Medicine Outdoor Advertising and Public Health Issues in Northern Nigeria. Indigenous Language for Social Change Communication in the Global South, 39.
Msughter, A. E., Yar’Adua, S. M., & Maradun, L. U. (2020). Influence of Cultural Practices on Maternal Morbidity and Complications in Katsina-Ala Local Government Area of Benue State, Nigeria. International Journal of Health, Safety and Environment, 6(9), 670-681.
Msughter, A.E., Yar'Adua, S.M., & Ogechi, A.P. (2022). Information seeking behavior on Covid-19 vaccine among residents of Fagge Local Government Area of Kano, Nigeria. Journal of Positive School Psychology, 6 (9), 2526-2541.
Namadi, H. M., & Aondover, E. M. (2020). Survey of reproductive health information seeking behavior among pregnant women in some selected hospitals in Kano Metropolis. Biomed J Sci & Tech Res/BJSTR. DOI, 10, 1984-1987.
Obada, A. A., Airaoje, O. K., Okuneye, A. P., Collins-Dike, J., & Msughter, A. E. (2024). Media Role on the Burden of Non-Communicable Diseases in Nigeria. Clin Case Rep Int. 2024; 8, 1652.
Obada, A. A., Msughter, A. E., Namadi, H. M., & Nongubee, T. (2021a). Hyper prevalence of malnutrition in Nigerian context. Biomedical Journal of Scientific & Technical Research , 39 (1), 30916-30925.
Obada, AA, Abba, AA, & Msughter, AE (2021b). Pregnancy Induced Hypertension in Kabo Local Government Area of Kano State, Nigeria. Biomedical Journal of Scientific & Technical Research , 39 (4), 31458-31466.
Pate, UA, Yar'Adua, SM, & Msughter, AE (2020). Public awareness, knowledge and perception of Covid-19 in Tarauni LGA and Kano metropolitan area of Kano State, Nigeria. Media & Communication Currents, 4 (2), 52-69.
Ruggiero, T. E. (2000). Uses and gratifications theory in the 21st century. Mass Communication & Society, 3(1), 3–37. https://doi.org/10.1207/S15327825MCS0301_02
Russell, S. J., & Norvig, P. (2016). Artificial intelligence: A modern approach (3rd ed.). Harlow, UK: Pearson Education Limited.
Schiavo, R. (2014). Health communication: From theory to practice (2nd ed.). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Shah, P., Kendall, F., Khozin, S., Goosen, R., Hu, J., Laramie, J., ... & Schork, N. J. (2019). Artificial intelligence and machine learning in clinical development: A translational perspective. npj Digital Medicine, 2(1), 69.
Topol, E. (2019). Deep medicine: How artificial intelligence can make healthcare human again. New York, NY: Basic Books.
Tsvetkov, D., Tsvetkova, S., Petrov, M., & Kostadinova, G. (2021). Chatbot applications in healthcare: A systematic review. International Journal of Advanced Computer Science and Applications, 12(3), 520–527.
Usman, B., Eric Msughter, A., & Olaitan Ridwanullah, A. (2022). Social media literacy: fake news consumption and perception of COVID-19 in Nigeria. Cogent Arts & Humanities, 9(1), 2138011.
Vaidyam, A. N., Wisniewski, H., Halamka, J. D., Kashavan, M. S., & Torous, J. B. (2019). Chatbots and conversational agents in mental health: A review of the psychiatric landscape. Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, 64(7), 456–464. https://doi.org/10.1177/0706743719828977
Ventola, C. L. (2014). Mobile devices and apps for health care professionals: Uses and benefits. Pharmacy and Therapeutics, 39(5), 356–364.
Whiting, A., & Williams, D. (2013). Why people use social media: A uses and gratifications approach. Qualitative Market Research: An International Journal, 16(4), 362–369. https://doi.org/10.1108/QMR-06-2013-0041
Zhou, X., Snoswell, C. L., Harding, L. E., Bambling, M., Edirippulige, S., Bai, X., & Smith, A. C. (2019). The role of telehealth in reducing the mental health burden from COVID-19. Telemedicine and e-Health, 26(4), 377–379.