Assessment on the Use of Electronic Health Records in Healthcare Facilities in the Ho Municipality of Ghana
Keywords:
Electronic Health Records, Health Information System, ICT, Health Facilities, Ghana
Abstract
Health records have played a significant role throughout history as important legal documents for the exercise of individuals’ rights. However, domestic legislation fails to define health records as a legally important collection of health data and documents. Ineffective records management systems usually lead to long patient waiting times before patients receive health services. The health workers usually end up not rendering certain services because the health history of the patient is not contained in medical files.
The study assessed the use of electronic health records in healthcare delivery in 3 health facilities in Ho municipality in the Volta Region of Ghana. A cross-sectional study design was employed, using a sample of 334 health professionals from three health facilities (Ho Teaching Hospital, Ho Municipal Hospital and Ho Polyclinic). The data collected were analysed using, Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS – 21) and Microsoft Excel 2016.
The result of the study revealed a strong positive relationship between the use of electronic health records (EHRs) and healthcare delivery in the Ho municipality. Most health professionals attested that the electronic health records system helps in the area of service delivery making it easy and faster in compiling and submission as well as a reduction in duplication of data and information of patients and improve data quality and security. The EHR system has so far resulted in the improvement of keeping records of hospital activities. The study recommends that hospitals should take proactive steps in training their human resources on the EHR system.
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Fetters, M. D., Curry, L. A., & Creswell, J. W. (2013). Achieving integration in mixed methods designs—principles and practices. Health services research, 48(6pt2), 2134-2156.
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Vest, J., Issel, L. M., & Lee, S. (2014). Experience of Using Information Systems in Public Health Practice: Findings from a Qualitative Study. Online Journal of Public Health Informatics, 5(3), 1–9. https://doi.org/10.5210/ojphi.v5i3.4847
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World Health Organization. (2018). Delivering quality health services: a global imperative for universal health coverage.
World Health Organziation, & Pan American Health Organization. (2017). Handbook for Electronic Health Records Implementation. June, 75. http://www.paho.org/ict4health/images/docs/DRAFT-Handbook_EHR_Implementation.pdf
Zabada, C., Singh, S., & Munchus, G. (2001). The role of information technology in enhancing patient satisfaction. British Journal of Clinical Governance, 6(1), 9-16.
Zielinski, C., Kebede, D., Mbondji, P. E., Sanou, I., Kouvividila, W., & Lusamba-Dikassa, P. S. (2014). Knowledge systems in health in sub-Saharan Africa: Results of a questionnaire-based survey. Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine, 107, 22–27. https://doi.org/10.1177/0141076813518525
Ahouman, Z. R., & Rongting, Z. (2019). E-Society Realities in Sub-Saharan Africa: The Case of Cote d’Ivoire. In ICT for a Better Life and a Better World (pp. 221-246). Springer, Cham.
Al-Sharhan, S., Omran, E., & Lari, K. (2019). An integrated holistic model for an eHealth system: A national implementation approach and a new cloud-based security model. International Journal of Information Management, 47, 121-130.
Amatayakul, M. K., & Lazarus, S. S. (2005). Electronic health records: transforming your medical practice. Medical Group Management Assn.
Bryman, A., & Bell, E. (2011). Ethics in business research. Business Research Methods, 7(5), 23-56.
Carlisle, A. F., Greenbaum, S. M., & Tankersley, M. S. (2020). Scribes, EHRs, and Workflow Efficiencies in Allergy Practices. Current Allergy and Asthma Reports, 20(10), 1-7.
Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services. (2014). Electronic health records provide fact sheet.
Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services. (2015). https://www.cms.gov/Medicare-Medicaid-Coordination/Fraud-Prevention/Medicaid-Integrity-Education/Downloads/docmatters-ehr-providerfactsheet.pdf.
Chali, F. H. (2019). Data exchange framework to support interoperability among multiple e-health records through a single mobile application: the case of Tanzania (Doctoral dissertation, NM-AIST).
Chisholm, R. L., Denny, J., Fridsma, D., Kheterpal, S., Masys, D., & Ohno-Machado, L. (2015). Opportunities and USES related to the use of Electronic Health Records data for research. 1–10.
Connelly, B. L., Certo, S. T., Ireland, R. D., & Reutzel, C. R. (2011). Signaling theory: A review and assessment. Journal of management, 37(1), 39-67.
DePalo, P. (2014). Electronic health record interoperability across transport medicine. Towson University Institutional Repository.
Fetters, M. D., Curry, L. A., & Creswell, J. W. (2013). Achieving integration in mixed methods designs—principles and practices. Health services research, 48(6pt2), 2134-2156.
Graber, M. L., Byrne, C., & Johnston, D. (2017). The challenge of electronic health records on diagnosis. Diagnosis (Berlin, Germany), 4(4), 211–223. https://doi.org/10.1515/dx-2017-0012
Jamal, A., McKenzie, K., & Clark, M. (2009). The challenge of health information technology on the quality of medical and healthcare: a systematic review. Health Information Management Journal, 38(3), 26-37.
Jawhari, B., Ludwick, D., Keenan, L., Zakus, D., & Hayward, R. (2016). Benefits and USES of EMR implementations in low resource settings: A state-of-the-art review. BMC Medical Informatics and Decision Making, 16(1), 1–12. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12911-016-0354-8
Kalra, D., & Ingram, D. (2006). Information Technology Solutions for Healthcare. In Information Technology Solutions for Healthcare (Issue May 2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/1-84628-141-5
Karippacheril, T. G., Rios, L. D., & Srivastava, L. (2017). Global markets, global USES: Improving food safety and traceability while empowering smallholders through ICT.
Kellermann, A. L., & Jones, S. S. (2013). What it will take to achieve the as-yet-unfulfilled promises of health information technology. Health affairs, 32(1), 63-68.
Knight, L., & Maharaj, P. (2009). Use of public and private health services in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Development Southern Africa, 26(1), 17-28.
Law, R., Leung, D., & Chan, I. C. C. (2020). Progression and development of information and communication technology research in hospitality and tourism: A state-of-the-art review. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 32(2), 511-534.
Levy, P. S., & Lemeshow, S. (2013). Sampling of populations: methods and applications. John Wiley & Sons.
Manne-Goehler, J., Geldsetzer, P., Agoudavi, K., Andall-Brereton, G., Aryal, K. K., Bicaba, B. W., ... & Singh Gurung, M. (2019). Health system performance for people with diabetes in 28 low-and middle-income countries: A cross-sectional study of nationally representative surveys. PLoS medicine, 16(3), e1002751.
Marais, D. L., & Petersen, I. (2015). Health system governance to support integrated mental healthcare in South Africa: USES and opportunities. International Journal of Mental Health Systems, 9(1), 14.
Marutha, N. S. (2011). Records management in support of service delivery in the public health sector of the Limpopo Province in South Africa. Doctoral Dissertation: University of South Africa, 45884889. http://uir.unisa.ac.za/handle/10500/5737
Marwal, A., Sahu, A., Prajapati, R., Choudhary, D. K., & Gaur, R. K. (2012). RNA Silencing Suppressor Encoded by Betasatellite DNA Associated With Croton Yellow Vein Mosaic Virus. Open Access Scientific Reports, 1(2), 1-2. https://doi.org/10.4172/scientificreports.153
McFarlane, C., Beer, M., Brown, J., & Prendergast, N. (2017). Patientory: A Healthcare Peer-to-Peer EMR Storage Network v1. Entrust Inc.: Addison, TX, USA.
Menachemi, N., & Collum, T. H. (2011). Benefits and drawbacks of electronic health record systems. Risk Management and Healthcare Policy, 4, 47–55. https://doi.org/10.2147/RMHP.S12985
Nüst, D., & Pebesma, E. (2020). Practical reproducibility in geography and geosciences. Annals of the American Association of Geographers, 1-11.
Perry, H. B., Zulliger, R., & Rogers, M. M. (2014). Community health workers in low-, middle-, and high-income countries: an overview of their history, recent evolution, and current effectiveness. Annual review of public health, 35, 399-421.
Poluyi, A., Onigbogi, O., & Poluyi, E. (2019). An assessment of the knowledge of medical doctors on Electronic Medical Records in a Tertiary Health Center in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Cross sectional study. Trends in Research, 2(2), 1–2. https://doi.org/10.15761/TR.1000136
Schulte, F., & Fry, E. (2019). Death by 1,000 clicks: Where electronic health records went wrong. Kaiser Health News, 18.
Seymour, T., Frantsvog, D., & Graeber, T. (2012). Electronic Health Records (EHR). American Journal of Health Sciences (AJHS), 3(3), 201–210. https://doi.org/10.19030/ajhs.v3i3.7139
Shawahna, R. (2019). Merits, features, and desiderata to be considered when developing electronic health records with embedded clinical decision support systems in Palestinian hospitals: a consensus study. BMC medical informatics and decision making, 19(1), 216.
Silow-Carroll, S., Edwards, J. N., & Rodin, D. (2012). Using electronic health records to improve quality and efficiency: the experiences of leading hospitals. Issue Brief (Commonwealth Fund), 17(July), 1–40.
Stanfill, M. H., & Marc, D. T. (2019). Health information management: implications of artificial intelligence on healthcare data and information management. Yearbook of medical informatics, 28(1), 56.
Snyder, L. (2015). The Importance of Health Communication. May, 617–624. http://www.cdc.gov/cancer/breast/pdf/The_Importance_of_Health_Communication_LeslieSnyder.pptx
Van Wyk, A. (2020). Developing a budgetary control framework for a multinational company using Industry 4.0 technologies (Doctoral dissertation, North-West University (South Africa)).
Vest, J., Issel, L. M., & Lee, S. (2014). Experience of Using Information Systems in Public Health Practice: Findings from a Qualitative Study. Online Journal of Public Health Informatics, 5(3), 1–9. https://doi.org/10.5210/ojphi.v5i3.4847
Waithera, L., Muhia, J., & Songole, R. (2017). Challenge of Electronic Medical Records on Healthcare Delivery in Kisii Teaching and Referral Hospital. Medical & Clinical Reviews, 03(04), 1–7. https://doi.org/10.21767/2471-299x.1000062
World Health Organization. (2019). Access to life-saving services in urban areas (No. WHO/EHE/RUD/89.2. Unpublished). World Health Organization.
World Health Organization. (2018). Delivering quality health services: a global imperative for universal health coverage.
World Health Organziation, & Pan American Health Organization. (2017). Handbook for Electronic Health Records Implementation. June, 75. http://www.paho.org/ict4health/images/docs/DRAFT-Handbook_EHR_Implementation.pdf
Zabada, C., Singh, S., & Munchus, G. (2001). The role of information technology in enhancing patient satisfaction. British Journal of Clinical Governance, 6(1), 9-16.
Zielinski, C., Kebede, D., Mbondji, P. E., Sanou, I., Kouvividila, W., & Lusamba-Dikassa, P. S. (2014). Knowledge systems in health in sub-Saharan Africa: Results of a questionnaire-based survey. Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine, 107, 22–27. https://doi.org/10.1177/0141076813518525
Published
2024-02-22
How to Cite
Dovia, C. K., Todoko, C. A., Nyagblornu, N., & Dzokoto, S. Y. (2024). Assessment on the Use of Electronic Health Records in Healthcare Facilities in the Ho Municipality of Ghana. European Journal of Science, Innovation and Technology, 4(1), 291-304. Retrieved from https://ejsit-journal.com/index.php/ejsit/article/view/382
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Copyright (c) 2024 Cecil Kwaku Dovia, Cosmos Agbe Todoko, Nicholas Nyagblornu, Simon Yao Dzokoto
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