Investigating the integration level of ICT in health care delivery at the Hohoe Municipal Hospital

Loading...
Thumbnail Image
Date
June, 2013.
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Abstract
The purpose of this study is to ‘Investigate the integration level of ICT in healthcare delivery at the Hohoe Municipal Hospital’. A descriptive survey approach was adopted for the study. Questionnaire was used to elicit responses from 150 purposefully selected respondents (60 clinicians and 90 patients) in order to frankly answer four strategic research questions guiding the study. The research questions sought to know the current level of ICT integration into healthcare delivery at the Hohoe Municipal Hospital in the Volta Region of Ghana through identification of the available integrated ICT tools, benefits of integrated ICT into healthcare, the level of competence and preparedness of both clinicians and patients in using technological devices as well as the barriers to the successful integration of ICT into healthcare delivery. The findings revealed that there is a low status of much feasible ICT tools which must be acquired and networked to boost services offered by the hospital in a more detailed and effective manner. Furthermore, lack of policies, human and other material resources to establish and augment effective integration of ICT into healthcare delivery was identified. These generate lack of much knowledge on the relevance of ICT in healthcare to patients and clinicians, complications in treatment as well as the exhibition of negative attitudinal characteristics by some clinicians towards using available technological facilities. The researcher recommends on the findings that, more ICT tools must be acquired and properly networked; if possible, personnel must be employed and trained to be in charge of the facilities and to evaluate their functions. Also, a national policy must be constituted to champion health affairs instead of party politics enshrinements and ICT education must be part of every national curriculum and training services across formal, semi-formal and non-formal educational enterprises. Finally, public institutions must be decentralised rather than depending on the central government for all needs.
Description
A master’s thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science Health Informatics. Centre for Graduate Studies – Institute of Distance Learning,
Keywords
Citation