Conversational Artificial Intelligence for Health Information Access in Developing Countries: A Systematic Review

Author

Esther Nderitu Imbamba, United States International University-Africa, Kenya

Published in

IST-Africa 2026 Conference Proceedings

ISSN: 2576-8581

ISBN: 978-1-905824-76-2

DOI: https://doi.org/10.67725/IST-Africa.2026.UJMN8248

Publisher

IST-Africa Institute and IIMC International Information Management Corporation Ltd

Published in Ireland

Abstract

Conversational AI (CAI) systems have emerged as tools capable of offering access to health information by delivering personalized support through human-like conversations. Despite these potential benefits, adoption in developing countries remains limited, due to inadequate technological infrastructure, cost barriers, cultural factors and limited digital literacy. This review consolidates the fragmented literature to assess the current role of conversational AI systems in supporting access to health information in developing countries and identify future design opportunities. Guided by the PRISMA framework, 26 articles published between 2019 and 2025 were reviewed. Findings show a rise in deployment of health chatbots during the COVID 19 period, highlighting their role in the provision of healthcare services. Three dominant themes emerged: the diversity of user groups, the range of health interventions supported and the design strategies used. The review concludes that effective integration of CAI requires context-sensitive design that considers linguistic, cultural and infrastructural constraints.

Keywords

Conversational artificial intelligence, developing countries, health chatbots, health information access

Cite this paper

E.N. Imbamba (2026) "Conversational Artificial Intelligence for Health Information Access in Developing Countries: A Systematic Review", IST-Africa 2026 Conference Proceedings, Miriam Cunningham and Paul Cunningham (Eds), IST-Africa Institute and IIMC, 2026, ISSN: 2576-8581, ISBN: 978-1-905824-76-2, https://doi.org/10.67725/IST-Africa.2026.UJMN8248

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