AI-enabled mHealth for Task-Sharing in Africa

According to the PLOS Global Public Health scoping review (Mhlanga et al., published July 24, 2026) the evidence base from Africa is small but consistent: the review screened 4, 857 citations and included 15 studies from eight African countries, and found that mHealth was the most frequently used digital technology to support task-sharing for NCDs in the included studies. The PLOS review concluded that "Digital health, particularly mHealth, supports NPHWs in task-sharing for NCD prevention and management in Africa" (Mhlanga et al., 2026).

• The PLOS review searched databases to August 3, 2025 and identified 4, 857 citations, with 15 studies meeting inclusion criteria (published July 24, 2026).
• mHealth appeared in 46.7% (7/15) of included studies and community health workers were the primary users in 46.7% (7/15) of studies, according to Mhlanga et al., 2026.
• Study origins spanned eight countries, with South Africa accounting for 26.7% (4/15) of included studies (Mhlanga et al., 2026).
• Reported barriers in the PLOS review include low digital literacy, poor internet connectivity, and inadequate electricity supply, while reported training durations ranged from two to nine days in studies that documented training (Mhlanga et al., 2026).

The PLOS Global Public Health scoping review (Mhlanga et al., published July 24, 2026) examined how digital health is used by NPHWs for task-sharing in NCD prevention and management and described technologies, functions, effectiveness, and implementation constraints.

According to the PLOS review, the authors searched PubMed, Scopus and Google Scholar through August 3, 2025, screened 4, 857 citations, and included 15 studies from eight African countries in the final analysis (Mhlanga et al., 2026).

According to the PLOS review, mHealth was the predominant technology across all included studies, with smart-phone applications, SMS, voice calls, and WhatsApp features used for prevention, screening, treatment delivery, and supervision (Mhlanga et al., 2026).

According to the PLOS review, clinical effectiveness data were sparse: four studies reported patient outcomes, two mental health studies showed positive effects, and two prevention trials showed neutral effects on clinical biomarkers such as HbA1c and blood pressure (Mhlanga et al., 2026).

The PLOS review quotes earlier studies to illustrate delivery modes; for example, Chibanda et al. (as cited in Mhlanga et al., 2026) used "up to six SMSs and phone calls" to support psychosocial treatment adherence.

Researchers should treat the PLOS review as a call to broaden evidence: the PLOS Global Public Health review (Mhlanga et al., 2026) found only 15 eligible studies from eight countries and highlighted gaps in prevention effectiveness and technology variety.

Program designers should prioritise infrastructure and training because the PLOS review documents that low digital literacy, unreliable internet, and inadequate electricity limited mHealth use in the included studies (Mhlanga et al., 2026).

Policymakers should use governance and funding levers because the PLOS review recommends governance, sustainable funding, and robust data systems tailored to country contexts to scale digital health effectively (Mhlanga et al., 2026).

Ethics note: clinical claims in the PLOS review are research-focused and non-diagnostic; any implementation should follow local clinical governance and data protection rules, consistent with WHO guidance on digital health (World Health Organization, 2021).

The PLOS Global Public Health scoping review (Mhlanga et al., published July 24, 2026) shows that mHealth is the primary digital approach supporting task-sharing for NCD care in Africa, but the evidence base is small and implementation barriers are consistent across studies.

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