# Multilingual voice-enabled informatics tools: Catalyst for equitable AI in HIV and HIV-comorbidity healthcare management

## TL;DR

This paper introduces multilingual voice-enabled tools to help manage HIV in West Africa by bridging communication gaps and promoting equitable healthcare.

## Contribution

The novel contribution is the development of WAHMIDS and WAHMIMA, multilingual informatics tools using fuzzy logic and voice technology for HIV diagnosis and management.

## Key findings

- The tools are designed to assist English-speaking medical workers and indigenous patients in diagnosing and managing HIV.
- They aim to reduce healthcare disparities by enabling better communication and data collection in diverse West African communities.
- The tools have potential to improve medication prescriptions and support inclusive healthcare strategies.

## Abstract

Human Immunodeficiency Virus (henceforth HIV) is a global health problem, presently with no known cure. Africa has one of the highest incidences of HIV. Nigeria, within the West African (WA) region, is one of the largest economies on the continent. However, the country continues to struggle with HIV, with approximately 2 million individuals currently infected and experiencing ongoing transmissions. Management of the disease has been difficult due to communication barriers between English-speaking medical practitioners and indigenous patients in rural and suburban regions of the country and bordering countries. In this paper, we used fuzzy logic and voice-enabled technology to create WAHMIDS (West African HIV and HIV-comorbidity Multilingual Indigenous Diagnostic Software) and WAHMIMA (West African HIV Multilingual Informatics Mobile Application), which are health apps designed to help diagnose HIV and manage related health issues in both rural and urban areas for people who speak different indigenous languages in West Africa. Additionally, illustrations of the application of this tool to HIV diagnosis, using existing HIV data, are demonstrated. We expect that these tools will assist English-speaking medical workers and inhabitants of West African communities in their efforts to control HIV transmissions. These informatics tools have the potential to help prescribe medications for HIV and HIV-comorbidity patients. We anticipate that these informatics tools will help address healthcare disparities and promote diversity, equality, and inclusion by reducing the gaps in healthcare delivery between different regions and facilitating the collection of diverse patient data, which is essential for developing and planning more inclusive and accurate healthcare strategies in the West African sub-region.